Poisoned Memories
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: What was supposed to be a simple weekend to enjoy a dueling tournament becomes a nightmare when an old wound from Sirius' past threatens to ruin his future. With his brother's life hanging on a thread, Durbe must make a decision before the two are forced to separate. This time...for good. (Sequel to MSTBG) FINALLY POSTING!
1. Chapter 1

**Zexal Fanfiction: **

**Poisoned Memories**

**Family/Angst**

**Durbe/OC**

**What was supposed to be a simple weekend to enjoy a dueling tournament becomes a nightmare when an old wound from Sirius' past threatens to ruin his future. With his brother's life hanging on a thread, Durbe must make a decision before the two are forced to separate. This time...for good. (Sequel to MSTBG.)**

**(Don't own Zexal. Just own my OCs. But you love my OCs, don't ya?)**

* * *

**D.T.B: HOLD THE PRESSES! DURBE THE BARIAN IS FINALLY POSTING THE ONE STORY SHE PROMISED TO WRITE AGES AGO!**

**Sirius: [turns down the volume significantly.] Works every time.**

**D.T.B: [screams without volume.]**

**Lyra: Sirius-san, what is she saying?**

**Sirius: No clue. Okay...let's try this. [turns volume up a little bit]**

**D.T.B: I HOPE YOU GUYS REALLY ENJOY THIS! I HAD TO WORK WITH IT FOR A WHILE, WHICH IS WHY I TOOK SO DARN LONG IN WRITING I-**

**Sirius: [turns volume down again] Let's just get to the story.**

* * *

Episode 1

Going to School

* * *

The two brothers stood back-to-back as they fought off their land's attackers. "You okay back there, Sirius?" Durbe asked.

Sirius forced an attacker off of him. "I'm fine," he answered with a chuckle. "Maybe you should worry about yourself for a change."

"You know I can't," Durbe said. "It's habit."

"Habit, shmabit," Sirius responded with a grin. "It's more like you're just too overprotective to do anything different." He jumped upward, slashing an opponent across the face.

"Well, there's that too," Durbe conceded, forcing away several opponents with a single sideswipe.

Sirius laughed. "You're hopeless," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Durbe responded.

The two gave each other a knowing grin before they continued to attack their enemies with an almost terrifying case of teamwork.

The battle ended shortly after, with most of their enemies either falling in battle or fleeing in fear. Durbe sheathed his sword as he looked at their fallen opponents. "And to think...they could have avoided all this if they chose not to heed the orders of their masters instead of going up against our people," he said, a solemn expression painting his face.

Just then, he heard a sword clatter against the ground. His ears pricked up and he jerked his head back. Sirius was breathing heavily, one hand clapped over the left side of his neck. "Sirius?" Durbe asked slowly. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Sirius responded. "You don't...you don't have to worry about-"

A wave of pain went through his being and he fell to the ground, his consciousness fading away.

Durbe's eyes widened with fear as he raced over to his brother's side. Then he cradled him in his arms and gave him a shake. "Sirius!" he shouted. "Sirius! What's the matter?!"

Then he noticed something.

On the left side of Sirius' neck, there was a mark.

Like something had attacked him. A long claw mark.

"What...is that?" Durbe asked himself, his voice laced with fear.

Sirius let out a small moan and his hand went limp.

Durbe's eyes widened. "Sirius!"

* * *

Durbe shot up in his sleeping bag, his hand held out before his face. His face was covered in sweat and his eyes were wide with terror. The room he was sleeping in was near pitch-black and the only thing he could hear was his clock ticking incessantly.

It was a dream.

Nothing more.

His heartbeat began to steady when the realization dawned on him.

He placed his hand on his chest and calmed his breathing.

After a few moments of silence, he pulled himself out of his sleeping bag and walked into the kitchen. Then he grabbed a cup from the cupboard and turned on the tap. "That dream," he thought to himself. "It felt...far too real to be just a dream. Was it...another memory?"

* * *

The constant ringing of the alarm clock. The loud awakening of his fellow Barians. Alit racing out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel because the water was too hot. Misael complaining about his high school uniform (Which he was really starting to hate.). Gilag hogging all the breakfast cereal. And Vector sulking in solitary confinement until further notice.

Yep. That was how Durbe was beginning to start his days. Not that he hated it. More like he...abhorred it. Okay, yeah. He hated it. It was beginning to annoy him unlike anything he'd ever gone through before in his life.

And he had Vector as a tag team partner once.

Durbe rubbed his eyes as he reached for the coffee pot.

Just his luck.

The coffee pot was empty.

"Who's turn was it to make coffee today?" Durbe asked exhaustedly. He was going to need it if he was to survive the day, seeing as how he didn't get any sleep.

"Ummm," went Alit. "I think it was Vector's."

That would explain why there wasn't any coffee. He was still locked in the room. (They had made sure that the door was Vector-proof that time around.) Because of Vector's unusually nasty attitude when regarding Sirius, who had won his Over-Hundred Number from him in a duel (Which he had managed to rope Vector into by calling him, "The Mad Prince of Stupidity.), they had decided that he was taken care of best by storing him in a Baria Crystal and locking the Baria Crystal in the bedroom. Then the neighbors wondered why all the boys were in the living room, sleeping in sleeping bags. And why the door to the bedroom had a bunch of wood planks nailed over it. ←[That was Alit's idea.]

So far, he'd been successfully locked in for a little over a week. And they were grateful for the silence. Especially since Durbe's doctor had recommended a little peace and quiet for a few days. And after everything he'd gone through – dueling a Barian Guardian, taking hits meant for Sirius, hitting a Barian Sphere field headfirst (In his Barian form, no less.) - very few could tell Durbe that he needed noise.

Vector would definitely be one of the few, but that was beside the point. Back to the story!

* * *

The alarm clock started going crazy in Sirius' bedroom. There was a low groan from underneath the blankets of the bed, then a pale hand reaching out from under the pillow and giving the clock a good whack. Then Sirius pushed himself out of his bed, racing his hand through his snow white hair. Then he yawned like a cow and looked at his clock.

Only 6 o'clock.

Not too shabby in Sirius' terms.

His pale hand reached for his window and he gave his curtain a quick tug. The sunlight poured into his room, and Sirius allowed himself the privilege of a smile. Then he pulled himself out of bed and walked into his bathroom, all the while giving his head a quick scratch.

He turned the water on in his bathroom and started splashing the cool liquid on his face. Then he looked at himself in the mirror as he wiped his face clean with a towel.

His white hair, though slightly shaggy, was sitting in a fuzzy cat-like pattern on his head. Personally, he hated the cat-ears that sprung out from under the unkempt bangs that he had chosen to leave alone, but every time he tried a different hairstyle, it ended up backfiring on him. (Never bring that up around him. He hates it.) His grey eyes were still a little worn out, but he was used to that. He rarely had any sleep when on a mission.

With a sigh, he pulled his nightshirt over his head and reached for the shirt of his school uniform. The red was definitely not his style, but he had little else to go with.

Ugh. But why did it have to have red?

He gave his shirt a quick tug, then walked into his bedroom again to get his shoes. Then he sat down on his bed and reached for his deck.

Sacred Wing – Guardian Wolf was at the top of the deck. A smile appeared on his face as the memories of the previous week flooded into his mind again.

How he met up with the Barian Emperors, how he dueled Vector and got some sweet revenge. (He let out a snicker when he remembered that part.)

How he found out that Durbe was his twin brother and eventually remembered their past as children. (If you do not know what I'm talking about, please consult the prequel.)

Sirius let out a light chuckle and placed his deck on his belt. "Well, guys," he said, "I think I'd better get ready for a new day."

Then he reached down and put on his shoes. Then he looked at the clock.

7 AM.

Instantly, he shot out the door to his apartment, his school bag slung over his shoulder, one hand putting his grey-rimmed glasses on his face. "Where on Barian World did the time go!?" he exclaimed, racing down the steps outside the apartment building and leaping down the last few steps.

* * *

"I've got you beat this time, Yuma!" Testuo said with a snicker, racing towards the school on his skateboard.

"Oh, no you don't, Tetsuo!" Yuma retorted, futilely attempting to pass the bigger student.

Astral looked forward a few yards. "Yuma," he said, "it would be wise to slow down."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" Yuma asked, turning his attention to his floating friend.

That was a bad move.

Sirius started to walk across the street, his breath slowly returning to him. Yuma, having just noticed what Astral had inwardly predicted, attempted to slow down.

It quickly became a blur of wide eyes, loud screams, somebody shouting "Yuma!" and ended with a resounding "BANG."

"Uuuugh," was the only thing heard as the two boys laid sprawled out on the sidewalk.

Sirius then picked himself up and rubbed his white hair. "What a way to start the day," he mumbled. "What on Barian World are you doing; running like that, Yuma?!"

"Well, what were you doing; running in front of me like that?!" Yuma asked in reply.

"I was getting to school!" Sirius shouted, forcing himself to his feet with a groan. "Oh, man. That's gonna leave a mark."

Astral then floated down from his 'safe zone' – a friendly way of saying 'floating ten feet over Yuma's head – and looked at the bickering boys. "Are you all right, Sirius?" he asked.

Sirius simply gave the Astral Being a glare. "I'm fine," he said.

Despite the fact that he had no particular grudges against him, Sirius found that speaking to Astral was something he had great difficulty doing. Even more so without a scowl. Not that he wasn't working on it. He simply had a hard time trusting Astral Beings. Probably because he himself was a Barian. Ah, well, beside the point.

"There you are, Sirius," a voice said.

All four boys turned around. The Barian Emperors were all standing together, with Durbe standing in the front. His books were held firmly in his fingers, and a light smile was gracing his face. "Durbe-nii," Sirius breathed, forcing himself to keep a smile hidden away.

Alit then raised his hand in the air. "Hey, Durbe's little bro!" he shouted happily. "What's up?"

[cue anger mark.]

"I'm sorry," Sirius said. "Repeat that."

"I said-" Alit said, prior to getting cut off by Durbe.

"He isn't very fond of being called that, Alit," he said. "Him asking you to repeat that was a threat."

"Typical Durbe-nii," Sirius mumbled. "Which reminds me, are you okay to be coming to school? I thought you still needed a little more time before you were discharged."

"I'm a Barian," Durbe reminded him. "My body's sturdier than you would believe."

"I can imagine," Sirius chuckled awkwardly.

"If you're okay," Yuma said, "then, does that mean that we'll be able to duel sometime!?"

Durbe shook his head. "I told you before, Yuma," he said, "we're enemies. And that has not changed."

Then he turned towards the school. "Should we meet in a duel," he said, casting Yuma a sidelong glance, "it shall be with your Numbers at stake. Remember that."

Then he started for the school, Gilag and Alit following close behind. Misael, however, simply went through the overlay network so he could get to his own school. (He was not looking forward to any problems that would arise thanks to Kaito being there.)

Yuma grew serious for a moment there. "Don't worry about him," Sirius said suddenly, taking a few steps towards the school. "Durbe-nii's all work first, everything else second. You might become his friend yet."

Yuma froze. Then he smiled all over again. "Right!" he said. "That's right. I've just gotta kattobingu!"

Sirius sweat dropped. "Okay. Retract my previous statement."

Then he looked at his watch. "Oh, my Barian World!" he shouted, his cat-like cowlicks jumping upwards.

"What?! What is it?!" Yuma exclaimed worriedly.

"Classes are gonna start soon!" Sirius said, racing over to the school.

"W-Wait a minute. I'll come with you!" Then Yuma raced after Sirius.

Astral, however, simply floated behind Yuma.

* * *

Both boys stood in front of the school, futilely attempting to catch their breath. "I...can't...believe it," Sirius said.

"I...haven't...ran that fast...in ages," Yuma said happily.

"The two of you seem to be melting," Astral said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we're just sweating," Yuma replied. Then he noticed that Sirius was pressing his hand up to his chest. "Sirius, you okay?"

Sirius then pulled his inhaler out of his bag and pressed it to his mouth. Then he proceeded to use it to calm his rising asthma attack. "I'm not running like that ever again," Sirius said slowly, wiping the sweat off his brow. "That was crazy, even for me."

"You ran that fast because you were feeling kattobingu!" Yuma said enthusiastically.

Sirius turned his head to the side. "Yeah," he thought. "More like because I wanted to beat the stinking school bell."

"Sirius-san!"

Sirius froze.

Yuma turned around. "Who was that?" he asked.

"It sounded like a girl," Astral observed.

"Is she really here?" Sirius asked. "Oh, spare me. I haven't the strength."

He then turned around and noticed a red rocket coming his way. His eyes widened when he realized that it zeroed in on him.

"Sirius-san!" a happy voice said.

[Blacked out screen, followed by the bright lights and a resounding "Bang."]

Instantly, Sirius was trapped in the hug of a very petite young girl with shoulder length red hair. "L-Lyra?!" he exclaimed, seconds before falling down to the hard ground.

Thick smoke came after, followed by Yuma coughing up a lung. "Okay, what happened there?" he asked. "Who's that?"

"Oh, Sirius-san," the girl said happily. "I finally caught up with you."

"Well, Sirius-kun," a voice said, "looks like your stars are pretty dim right now."

Sirius opened his eyes and looked up. A tall boy was standing before him. His skin was slightly pale, and he had straight silver hair and dark eyes. A smile was on his face and he was wearing the first year's middle school uniform. "Hey, Sirius-kun," he said.

"Antares?" Sirius asked.

The girl, Lyra, then stood up. Much to his surprise, she was wearing the first year school uniform. ←[Pink suits her. Don't deny it.] "Konichiwa, Sirius-san," she said with a smile.

Sirius paused. "Who are these guys?" Yuma asked. "Are they duelists?"

Sirius didn't answer. Rather, he asked with a growl, "What on BARIAN WORLD are you DOING HEEEEEEERE?!"

* * *

PREVIEW

Wow! Looks like we've got two new friends at the school. And guess what? They're Barian Guardians, just like Sirius! But that's not the problem. Apparently, Sirius might have screwed something up or something in his latest assignment and that means that You-know-who is gonna show up. Join us on the next episode of Zexal: Memories of the Past, Blunders of the Present?

D.T.B: Yuma, the chapter is called, "Toy Knights and Aquarii-san." Please get your facts straight.

Whoops. I was reading the wrong script.

* * *

**Sirius: Why are we doing the previews again!?**

**D.T.B: Would you rather have Mokona handle them?**

**Sirius: No way on Barian World! **

**D.T.B: Good to hear. **

**Lyra: We hope you enjoy the sequel. Barian-chan's got most of it planned out.**

**D.T.B: Yeah. Sorry, Jackpot 2, but I don't think your suggestion is going to work here. :(**

**Sirius: You...are...in...trouble.**

**D.T.B: ...I know. :(**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Toy Knights and Aquarii-san

* * *

Sirius was resting on the rooftop of Heartland Academy, carefully hidden behind the wall. He had a white band-aid on his face, something he had to get after Lyra knocked him to the ground. ←[Light, but is still **very** strong.]

A sigh escaped Sirius as he struggled to make sense of the sudden arrival of his friends. Why did Antares and Lyra show up? He didn't do something stupid, did he? He couldn't think of anything fairly recent.

Okay, maybe attacking Vector would have been considered 'crazy,' as well as going up against Durbe like that. And maybe going up against Ryoga, thinking that he was Nasch, was insanely dumb. But other than that, nothing recent.

He gave the area around him a quick scan. When he was certain that he was alone, he grabbed his book bag and pulled something out of it. A medieval-style toy.

A knight, to be more precise.

The stitching was old and worn and the face – which had been carved out wood – was losing a great deal of its color. However, it still possessed amazing detail, despite its age. The armor it wore – a bright silver armor – was carefully carved to give it a lean build. A wooden sword was in its left hand and a bright, cheery smile was just barely visible on its face.

A light smile appeared on his face as he raised the knight figure over his head and started moving its arms with his thumbs. "Okay, Mr. Knight," he said, "what do you think is going on? Do you think I'm in trouble or something?" That last question actually came out in a way one would talk to babies.

"Um...Sirius? Was that you?"

Sirius froze. Then he slowly turned his head to the side. Durbe was right there, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Then Sirius sweat dropped. "Oh," he choked. "Hi, Durbe-nii."

"Who were you talking to?" Durbe asked. Then he noticed the toy in Sirius' hand. "Were you talking to that?"

Instantly, Sirius was up on his feet, the toy hidden behind his back. "Wh-Wh-What toy?" he asked, his face bright red.

"The toy behind your back," Durbe clarified.

Well, his cover was officially blown.

"May I see it?" Durbe asked.

With a heavy sigh, Sirius said, "Do **not** tell anybody. Not even Alit."

"Don't worry," Durbe said. "I won't utter a word."

Then Sirius pulled the toy out from behind his back and showed it to Durbe. "I found it a few years ago," he explained, handing it to his brother. "A few of the Barian Guardians, as well as myself, were hunting down a rogue Barian who'd fled to South America." ←[Where Sky Pegasus' Number Ruins are located.] "We'd tracked him to this old village and...I found that in a pile of rubble."

Durbe slowly stroked the face of the toy knight, his expression firm and hardened. "I know, I shouldn't be messing with it," Sirius continued, "but I just couldn't help myself. I felt like I knew it for some reason."

"It's impressive," Durbe said, returning the toy to Sirius. "You were fortunate to save it from the rubble."

Sirius smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I know, right?"

"Hey, what's that thing? A toy?"

Instantly, Sirius jumped into the air and hid the toy behind his back again. That time around, Yuma had popped up behind him and scared him half to death. "Yu-Yu-Yuma!" he snapped. "What are you doing here!?"

"It's lunch time," Yuma said. "I always come up here to eat."

Kotori then poked her head out from behind Yuma. "What are **you** doing up here, though, Sirius-kun?" she asked.

"Thinking," Sirius responded.

"More like playing with your toy," another voice said.

Sirius turned bright red. That was Antares with Lyra right behind him. (Don't ask where he was standing. It's unimportant.)

"Antares," he growled.

"That toy actually looks pretty cool," Yuma said. "Where'd you get it?"

"Found it," Sirius responded.

"Yeah," Antares joked. "In a pile of rubble."

"Antares...you're toast."

* * *

(All the kids are sitting on the roof, in a nice circle. Barians on one side, for obvious reasons, Yuma and Kotori are on the other.)

Sirius took a good chomp out of his riceball. Then he swallowed. "Okay," he said, "care to explain what the two of you are doing here?"

"Hmm?" went Antares, chewing on an oatmeal cookie. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Sirius practically growled. "Why are the two of you here?"

"Well, firstly, we were sent here on a mission and we had to blend in somehow," Antares said, gesturing to his first year uniform. "So we decided that 'school kids' would be the best idea."

"You do realize that nobody's gonna think you're a first year, right, Antares?" Sirius asked with a sigh.

"Really?" Antares asked. "They seem to be falling for it so far."

Sirius hung his head. "Why did I even ask?" he asked himself.

"Beats me," Antares said. "I wish you'd stop asking yourself meaningless questions."

"Then maybe you can bring yourself back to the initial question," Astral said suddenly, appearing from the Emperor's Key. "What are you doing here? What is your mission?"

"Oh, our mission?" Antares asked.

"Well, it's," Lyra began, "something we gave ourselves."

"You guys gave **yourselves** a mission?" Sirius asked. Then he mentally added, "Now I **know** I'm in trouble."

"Yep," Antares responded.

"So what is the mission that you gave yourselves?" Durbe asked. "If it is to take our Over-Hundred Numbers," his eyes glowed bright pink; "you shall find it a troublesome task indeed."

"Relax, Durbe-nii," Sirius said. "They can't do that. The Leader said to not touch your Numbers."

"Besides, it's far more troublesome than that." Antares then leaned forward. "Sirius, she's coming."

"Oh, really?" Sirius asked, opening a can of soda. "That's nice. Who is 'she?'"

Just as he started taking a quick swig, Antares said, "The Leader."

That, in turn, turned Antares into a Barian target. For projectile soda.

Then Sirius started hacking up a lung, with Durbe giving him a hefty pat on the back to get the cold, brown liquid out of Sirius' lungs.

"Hang on a second!" Yuma shouted. "The Leader of the Barian Guardians-"

"Is coming to this world?" Astral finished.

"Yep," Antares responded, cleaning his face off with a paper towel he'd brought with his lunch.

"Why?" Sirius coughed. "What does she have to do here?"

"We don't know," Lyra admitted. "All we do know is that she's coming. And you're going to be the first person to meet her when she does."

Everything froze over.

Then Sirius bent forward and held a hand beside his face. "She's not still angry about '**that**,' is she?" he asked, worry painting his face.

"Hmm?" went Antares. Then a big grin appeared on his face. "Oh yeah," he said. "She's still furious about **'that.'**"

Sirius then got into the fetal position, several feet away from the group. "I'm doomed," he muttered. "Totally doomed. Sent to the Shadow Realm."

"Easy, Sirius-san," Lyra said. "It's possible that she's not coming to punish you for **'that**.'"

"Might I ask what '**That**' is?" Astral asked.

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty curious too," Yuma said.

Antares simply waved his hand in the air. "Nah," he said. "You hear about '**that,'** Sirius will never let me forget it."

Sirius then flashed him a glare. "You better believe I won't let you forget it," he growled.

"Setting that aside," Durbe said, looking over to Antares, "why are you so frightened of her arrival? What is she even like?"

Silence.

Then gloom.

"Scary," the Guardians responded, earning four very curious expression.

"She's really sweet and kind," Lyra began.

"But if you make her angry," Antares said.

"Then you'll be lucky to see the Barian World's sun again," Sirius completed. "Seriously. She's like a female version of Durbe-nii."

"Is he implying that I'm frightening?" Durbe thought to himself curiously. ←[Well, aren't you?]

"So," Antares said with a grin, "now that we delivered the news, what would you like me to say in your eulogy, Sirius?"

"Don't tease me like that, Antares!" Sirius snapped. "This isn't funny!"

"What isn't funny?"

That time, everybody froze.

A female voice – a very adult female voice – came from the stairs.

The Leader.

* * *

All eyes slowly turned to the stairs. There, in the doorway, stood a tall, slender woman with long, blue hair cascading down her back. Her bright grey eyes were sparkling with happiness and possibly a hint of mischief. She was wearing a grey trouser suit, a pair of sneakers, and a dark brown vest. Very snappy dresser. No doubt about it.

Yuma's mouth was agape when he noticed her. "Whoa," he breathed. "She's pretty. Who's she?"

"My boss," Sirius groaned.

That send Yuma's mouth to the floor. "That's your boss?!" he exclaimed. "I thought all the Barians were kids." ←[Seriously, how many **adult** Barians have we seen? (Not including Don Thousand.)]

"Not all of us!" Sirius snapped. "Have you forgotten Leonis?"

Apparently, he had.

Then Durbe turned to face his brother. "Beg my pardon," he said, "but I fail to see how she is a 'female version' of me. We look nothing alike."

"It was a figure of speech, Durbe-nii," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

The woman before them all then let out a light chuckle. "Hello," she said. "My name is Aquarii. As you already heard, I am Sirius' superior. I take it you are Yuma Tsukumo?" Naturally, she directed her question to Yuma.

"That's me!" Yuma said enthusiastically.

Aquarii let out another chuckle. "I thought as much," she said. "Sirius was very clear in his report about you."

"He...wrote a report about me?" Yuma asked, unsure whether or not he should have been happy or worried.

"Yes," Aquarii responded. "He said that you were very energetic, slightly scatterbrained, and that you were the gullible fool that Vector gave his Barian Guardian Badge to."

Yuma's mouth fell again, and Sirius turned away. He also made a mental note to better word his reports next time.

"Speaking of reports," Aquarii continued, "Sirius, I've been meaning to speak to you about your daily reports as of late."

"I'm screwed," Sirius thought worriedly. "Y-Yes, Aquarii-san?"

"You have not been sending in any reports for the past several days," Aquarii explained. "Care to explain that?"

He **knew** that he forgot something that morning.

"Well," he began, "things have been slow for the past week"

"You have also been very inactive as of late," Aquarii said. "Since the start of your previous mission, exactly how many duels have you won?"

"Well," Sirius began, scratching his face, "on my own...two."

"Two," Aquarii repeated. "Two duels. One against Vector, the Mad Prince of Barian, and one against Ryoga Kamishiro, which was practically an OTK. Afterwards, you failed to win a single duel on your own."

Sirius shuddered. He knew where this was going.

"You need to get some duels under your belt, or your rank may drop," Aquarii said, walking over to Sirius. "In order to combat this, I have decided that-"

"I can't help it, okay?" Sirius asked. "There hasn't been too many needs for me to duel. Please don't punish me!"

Everybody froze.

"Actually, Sirius, I wasn't going to punish you," Aquarii said. "I was going to suggest a dueling tournament that's being held this week." Then she held out a flyer for the tournament in question.

* * *

Sirius' eyes instantly became grey saucers as he looked at the piece of parchment in Aquarii's hands. "A...dueling tournament?" he asked.

"Yes," Aquarii said. "It has been a while since you've had a proper duel, so a simple tournament is sure to give you a dueling boost."

"So...you **aren't** still mad about '**that?**" Sirius asked.

"Hmm?" went Aquarii. "Oh. Do you desire me to be angry?"

"No!" Sirius exclaimed. "No. I'm quite content with how you're acting right now."

"Good to hear," Aquarii said. Then she gave the tournament flier to Sirius, who examined it about fifty times in ten seconds.

Instantly, Yuma raced over to Sirius' side, as did Antares. "A dueling tournament!?" Yuma exclaimed, his eyes filled with stars. "Oh, wow! Can I sign up?!"

"You'll have to check the rules for information such as that," Aquarii said.

"Oh, wow," Antares said excitedly. "This is spectacular."

"I thought you might say that," Aquarii chuckled. "That's why I signed you, Lyra, and Antares up for the tournament."

Sirius was two seconds away from hugging her to oblivion. The only thing stopping him from doing just that was his pride.

And the fact that she was his superior, and hugging his superior would have been considered insanity, and was punishable by suspension of his Barian Guardian status. So instead, he said, "Thank you so much, Aquarii-san."

Aquarii smiled. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, turning around and starting back for the steps. "Oh, and Sirius."

Sirius was too happy to see the trap that she'd just set. "Yes, Aquarii-san?"

"Until the tournament's end, Antares shall be staying at your place of rest."

Then she left, and Sirius sweat dropped. "Oh," went Sirius. "Yep. She's still mad about '**that.'**"

"Gee, you think?" Antares asked.

Everybody else simply had question marks over their heads. So a Barian Guardian was becoming his roommate for a few days. What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

PREVIEW

So it looks like Sirius is going to be having that new guy, Antares, for a roommate. As we all head home after school, we're all gonna get some pretty good laughs from Sirius' little issues with cats and dogs. Join us on the next episode of Zexal: Cats, Dogs, Dueling, Sirius.

D.T.B: Gettin' better, Yuma.

Thanks.

Sirius: You just signed our death warrant in these stinking PREVIEWS!

* * *

**D.T.B: Yay. Aquarii-san has been introduced. I'm happy.**

**Sirius: I'm not. [looks away.]**

**D.T.B: Awww.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**D.T.B: Wow. I totally didn't think you guys would go that nuts about 'THAT.'**

**Sirius: Oh, man...**

**Antares: Well...how can we put this? **

**D.T.B: It's not going to be revealed in the story. Sorry. That's the gag. You never figure out what 'THAT' is. **

**Yuma: Time to start the story! Kattobingu da, ORE!**

* * *

Episode 3

Cats, Dogs, Dueling, Sirius

* * *

(After school)

Everybody started making their way to their homes – or as Sirius once called it, their place of rest – as soon as school had reached its end. Among the small group of friends – as the Numbers Club, minus Yuma and Kotori, had chosen to take a different route home – Sirius, Alit, and Yuma were very happy. Sirius, uncharacteristically so. "A dueling tournament," he said. "Sweet."

"This is so awesome!" Yuma said, looking at the flier that Aquarii had given him. "A place to have some real, kick-butt, no-holds-barred dueling!"

"The perfect place to test our skills and still have a good match," Alit said, punching the air.

"I know, right?" Sirius said with a smile.

Durbe just had to look at his brother with wide eyes. "Sirius, are you alright?" he asked. "You seem...different."

"Huh?" went Sirius.

"You've only seen one side to Sirius," Antares said. "The serious side. This is the dueling side."

"Antares," Sirius growled. "You totally have the right to remain silent."

"Sirius-san," Lyra said, "you know he's just teasing you, right?"

"You're not helping, Lyra," Sirius said.

Antares laughed, then proceeded to take the flier from Yuma. "But I will say that this was a pretty nice thing for the Leader to set us up with," he said.

"I know," Sirius said, his eyes sparkling. "She's scary, but I love her."

Antares laughed again. "Yeah," he said. "Hey, maybe she's your mom!"

"Joke like that one more time, I bury you alive," Sirius mumbled.

"Okay, okay," Antares agreed, a grin on his face.

Then Sirius' nose began to twitch, followed by a terrible sneeze.

"Gesundheit," went Yuma.

"Thanks," Sirius answered, followed by another sneeze.

"Do you have a cold, Sirius-san?" Lyra asked.

"No," Sirius responded.

"Then why are you constantly sneezing?" Durbe asked.

Another sneeze.

"You **must **have a cold," Alit said.

"Yeah," went Gilag. "Not even Misael sneezes like that."

They were only glad that the Barian in question chose to take a different route to their apartment.

"Should I be offended?" Sirius asked.

"That depends," Antares said. "You've gotten over your little 'problems' yet?"

"Problems?" Durbe thought curiously.

"Those 'problems' aren't just something you can get over, Antares," Sirius said.

"And what problems might you be talking about?" Astral asked.

"Nothing," Sirius said nasally.

Then he sneezed again.

Then he noticed something.

They were walking past Cathy's house.

The house of cats.

* * *

Sirius froze when he noticed the grey and white ball of fur that crossed his path, his eyes wide with realization. "Oh, Barian World," he thought fearfully. "It's that furry monster again."

Durbe and Antares looked over to Sirius, then to the cat that was walking past him.

Then Sirius sneezed again, louder this time.

"Uh, Sirius, are you okay?" Yuma asked.

"No, he's not," Antares chuckled.

Then the cat looked over to Sirius and let out a meow.

"Awww," went Kotori. "That cat's so cute."

"That kitty's adorable!" Lyra exclaimed.

"I'm taking a different route," Sirius said nasally, turning away and walking as fast as he could.

"Aw, come on, Sirius," Antares said. "He's a cute cat."

"He's a feline!" Sirius growled.

Durbe then picked up the cat and stroked its head. "Sirius...why are you so...afraid of felines? I can't...remember."

His mental question was answered when he heard Sirius let out a rather frightened scream.

Instantly, Durbe set the cat down and raced over to where he heard him. "Sirius!" he exclaimed.

Antares simply walked. "Oh, dear," he chuckled.

"Not again, Sirius-san," Lyra breathed.

* * *

Neither Yuma nor Antares could stop laughing when they saw the situation Sirius was stuck in. There he stood, against the wall of one of the buildings, a large dog brushing his head against his leg. Sirius himself looked scared out of his wits, but the dog didn't seem to show any signs of aggression. In fact, he seemed to be fond of him. "Go away, you stupid mutt!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yep," went Antares said. "You haven't gotten over it yet!"

"Joke one more time, Antares!" Sirius shouted. "I so dare you!"

"You look as pale as a ghost," Alit said. "You feeling okay?"

"Get this mutt away from me and I'll answer you!"

"Uh, Sirius?" went Yuma. "Are you scared of dogs?"

"Scared of dogs," Antares said. "Allergic to cats. Take your pick. Which would you prefer, Sirius?"

Sirius didn't answer that time.

Durbe couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "You haven't changed at all, Sirius," he thought. "You haven't changed at all."

* * *

(Flashback.)

A hearty laugh reached Durbe's ears as he and his father looked up at his little brother. "Come on, Sirius," their father said. "It's okay to come down."

Sirius, who was sitting high up in a tree, backed himself away. "No," he squeaked. "That dog is still down there."

The five year old Durbe let out a sigh as he looked down to the dog before him. A large dog with black fur and a kind personality.

"Don't worry, Sirius," their father said, holding his arms out to his boy. "He's not going to hurt you. I promise."

Sirius didn't seem so convinced.

The dog, however, continued to pant like the animal he was as he stared up at his master's nephew.

* * *

(At Sirius' apartment.)

"Ung," went Sirius, falling to his bed as he tried to erase that embarrassing experience out of his mind. "A totally great day, ruined by a mutt," he mumbled.

"It's not his fault you're scared of dogs," Antares said, walking out into the middle of the bedroom, dressed in his PJs.

"Only big ones, genius," Sirius growled.

"That's absolutely hilarious, coming from the guy who's ace is a giant wolf," Antares chuckled.

A light yip could be heard in the room and both boys looked to Sirius' pillow.

A little puppy with soft white fur.

Sirius chuckled as he sat up in bed. "Hey, Corvus," he said. "How you doin', bud?"

The puppy yipped again and raced up to Sirius. Then he proceeded to lick his face, earning a bright laugh or two from the young Guardian.

Antares chuckled a little bit himself. "How cute," he said.

"Okay, boy!" Sirius laughed. "That's enough. I know you think my face is tasty, but I kinda need to keep it."

That stopped Corvus from licking him for a minute or two.

"You should really thank that guy," Antares said. "He's the one who scared the dog away. Otherwise, you would have been a statue for a whole other hour."

"I know," Sirius said, rubbing Corvus' head. "Thanks a bunch, little guy."

Corvus let out a yip.

"But you really should return to my deck, boy," Sirius said. "You're not supposed to be out right now."

With a twinkle in his eye, and like an obedient pup would, Corvus vanished, leaping into Sirius' deck, which rested on the desk. "That's one adorable puppy," Antares said, sitting down on his sleeping bag.

"Yeah," Sirius said, falling back onto his bed and looking up to the ceiling. Then a bright smile appeared on his face again as he said, "A dueling tournament. A duel that's just for fun." His eyes softened. "To be honest, I don't remember the last time I dueled for fun. Can you?"

"Nope," Antares said. "A Barian Guardian duels for one purpose. To capture various rogue Barians and to protect the Barian World with their lives. We haven't the time to duel for fun."

"Yeah. But still, the Emperors duel to protect the world as well, and look at them." Sirius' eyes closed. "They still have the time to goof off and have fun once in a while."

"That's just because they don't work like we do," Antares said, sliding into his sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I guess," Sirius agreed, sliding into his bedsheets. "But still," a grin appeared on his face; "I can't wait for tomorrow."

Antares let out a light sigh and laid down in his sleeping bag. "Ditto here, Sirius," he said, closing his eyes.

Sirius then looked out the window, to the starry sky that hung overhead.

* * *

Durbe looked to the starry sky as he finished up his homework. Then he looked to the clock.

11:30.

Time to hit the sack.

Placing his pencil down on the table, he adjusted his pajama top and walked over to his sleeping bag. Then he looked to the bedroom, where Vector was still (ahem) incarcerated.

He only stared for a minute, a curious emotion sweeping through his being. Then he shook his head and went to bed.

Or rather, sleeping bag.

* * *

_A blurry world._

_Smothering smoke._

_Bones cracking beneath his feet._

_"__What? What is all this? Where am I?"_

_"__Sirius. Sirius.__"_

_"__Who are you?! Answer me!"_

_A maniacal grin._

_"__Right behind you.__"_

_Sirius froze._

_"__You should have kept your oath to me, Sirius.__"_

_A flash of pain._

_Sirius looked down. A blade had pierced him through, blood dripping from the tip._

* * *

In an instant, Sirius forced himself forward, his eyes wide with terror, his skin pallid, the tips of his hair damp with sweat. The taste of bile was crawling up his throat, forcing him into the bathroom.

Terrible coughs could be heard from him for a few minutes after that, followed by the water running.

That was when Antares woke up, curious as to what was making all the noise. Then he saw Sirius, leaning over the sink, a lethargic look in his eyes. "Sirius?" he asked uneasily. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sirius blinked, then looked over to Antares. "Huh?" went Sirius. "Yeah." He then pulled a white towel from the rack beside the sink and wiped his face clean. "Just a bad dream."

Antares then walked over and felt Sirius' forehead. "You don't get sick from a bad dream," he reported. "You sure everything's okay?"

Sirius then pursed his lips and raced a hand through his sweaty hair. "There was smoke," he said, his voice bordering on a whimper. "And fire. Everything was smothering me."

Antares nearly jerked away when he heard that.

"And someone...someone..."

Sirius couldn't finish. He didn't want to.

Antares then placed his hands on Sirius' shoulders. "I'm sure it was just a nightmare," he said. "So why don't you just go back to bed and get some sleep?"

Sirius didn't speak for a moment, but then slowly nodded his head. "Okay," he said. Then he made his way back to his bed and forced himself to lay down.

As soon as Antares was certain that Sirius had fallen back to sleep, he placed a blanket over the youth's shoulders. His gaze was somber as he looked at Sirius' still pallid face. "I'm sorry, Sirius," he thought. "It looks like those memories are going to come back to you with avengance."

Then he slowly fingered a mark that was visible on Sirius' neck.

A claw mark.

Like one from an animal.

Or from a fallen star...

* * *

PREVIEW

YATTA! Now we're really getting to the good stuff. A DUELING TOURNAMENT! But I'm really curious about something. From the looks of things, Sirius looks kinda sick. Is something wrong with him? I sure as heck wish I knew. But I guess we'll all find out on the next episode of Zexal: Memories of a Forgotten Life! The Flames of Angered Souls!

Ready the dueling fields!

D.T.B: Still not the main character!


	4. Chapter 4

**D.T.B: Prepare yourselves, my audience. I don't own Zexal or its really cool theme song, Halfway to Forever.  
**

* * *

Episode 4

Memories of a Forgotten Life! The Flames of Angered Souls!

* * *

The alarm blared with a vengeance that morning as Sirius struggled to lapse back into slumber. He covered his face with both his blanket and his pillow, though neither one worked in any way. He could only let out a groan as he slammed his hand against the snooze.

Then he forced himself out of bed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Morning already?" he asked himself.

Suddenly, a pain attacked his neck, forcing Sirius to place his hand against it.

In a minute or two, the pain faded and Sirius was able to slowly move his hand away. "That was weird," he told himself, getting out of bed and making his way to the bathroom. "I wonder what that was."

As soon as he was in the bathroom, he pulled the upturned collar of his pajama top and looked.

Then his eyes widened.

On the left side of his neck was a bright mark. Three slashes against his skin, as if an animal thought him to be a good meal. "It's that mark again," Sirius said. "I thought it faded away."

The burning pain that attacked him again certainly proved him wrong. A wince and groan combination escaped him as he forced himself to the ground, gritting his teeth in an attempt to soothe the pain, his hand pressed against the wound.

"Sirius?" Antares called out. "You up yet?"

Sirius hadn't the courage to let Antares in on his pain. "Yeah," he said, grateful that he closed and locked the bathroom door. "I'm just gonna take a shower before breakfast."

"Alrighty then," Antares said through the door. "See you in a few minutes."

"Kay."

Sirius then pulled himself back onto his feet and looked at the mark for a while longer. His eyes narrowed as he struggled to remember where he got it.

No good.

It was just one of the things he woke up with when he first arrived in Barian World.

With a sigh, he turned on the shower head and pulled off his shirt. "Might as well take that shower," Sirius thought. "I have to get ready for school anyway."

* * *

Antares listened carefully as the hot water ran through the shower head in the bathroom.

"_Still together as one, 'cause divided we're none,_" Sirius sang, forcing a chuckle out of Antares. "_Ready to go. We feel the flow."_

"He's singin' in the shower again," Antares said. Then a bright grin appeared on his face as a wicked idea crossed his mind. "Hehehe."

Slowly, Antares turned on the hot water in the kitchen as high as he could.

Then waited for results.

Three.

Two.

One.

"GAH!" Sirius exclaimed. "What the-? Who's using all the hot water!?"

Antares started laughing like a lunatic. He was laughing so hard, he had to lean against the table in the dining room so he wouldn't hit the linoleum floor of the apartment in a heap.

Five minutes later, Sirius opened the door to the bathroom a crack and said, "Hey, Antares. Could you come here for a second?"

Antares forced himself to stop laughing and made his way to the bathroom. The tips of Sirius' hair was still sopping wet, and his skin was as white as a newborn babe's. It was also worth noting that he was half dressed, his school shirt still folded neatly on the counter. "What's the matter?" Antares asked.

"Did you turn on the hot water in the kitchen?" Sirius asked, a dark expression painting his face. "Knowing that I was taking a shower?"

"Yep," Antares admitted. "I couldn't resist."

"Fascinating," Sirius said. "In that case, I'm sure you won't mind this."

He then opened the door the rest of the way, revealing the shower nozzle in his hand.

Antares stared at it for a second. "Just desserts?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Sirius responded, turning the shower head on full blast.

* * *

(At the school.)

"Dude! What is your stupid shirt size!? This is tight!"

Sirius covered his ears in an attempt to block Antares' incessant complaints. "For the three HUNDREDTH time, I'm a small," Sirius snapped. "You're a medium."

Antares let out some more mutters as he adjusted his tie. "More like **extra** small," he said. "I can hardly breathe in this thing."

"Well, ex**cuse** me!" Sirius grouched. "But seeing as how you're the one who stole my school shirt, you are not in any position to complain!"

Then Sirius proceeded to tug on his white polo shirt, a growl escaping through his teeth.

"I had to take your shirt," Antares denied. "It was available and you soaked my own uniform through."

"Then you shouldn't have messed with the water," Sirius growled. "You know that annoys me."

"I know," Antares admitted. "That's why I did it."

Sirius was half tempted to beat the living daylights out of Antares after that.

"Hey, Sirius!"

Sirius slapped his forehead. What a way to start the day.

With Yuma.

"Hey, Sirius," Yuma said. "Nice uniform."

"It's not a uniform," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"Wish it was though," Antares said. "This shirt is murder."

Yuma raised an eyebrow. "What are you wearing?"

"You ask, you die," Sirius grouched.

Yuma then let out a chuckle. "Right," he laughed. "Did you guys get your stuff mixed up or something?"

Antares coughed. "Understatement."

"Hmm?" went Yuma. Then he shook his head. "Anyway, Sirius, you ready for the dueling tournament today!?"

Sirius smiled. "You better believe I'm rea-"

Instantly, the pain in his neck returned and his stomach began to churn. Doubling over and clapping his hand over his mouth, Sirius struggled against the bile taste in his mouth. "Ah!?" went Antares. "Sirius! What's the matter?"

"Are you okay?" Yuma asked worriedly. "You look really sick."

Sirius didn't answer. "E-Excuse me," he choked out.

Then he raced into the school building, right past Lyra and later, his brother.

Durbe then turned to face Sirius as he made his way for the bathrooms. "Sirius?"

* * *

Sirius let out a terrible cough. "Okay," he wheezed. "What's happening to me? This hasn't ever happened before."

He pressed his hand against his neck and pulled it away again.

No blood.

Strange. Then why did he feel like that red liquid should fall from his scar? "This is really weird," he told himself. "I've never felt this bad. What's...what's going on anyway?"

A wave of pain passed through his head, forcing him to double over as he pressed his hand against his head.

Though his eyes were shut tightly, he could see flames rising up around him. He could hear the screams of villagers ring in his ears. "Stop it," he uttered. "Stop it. Stop it! Stop it!"

"Sirius?"

The pain faded away in an instant, and Sirius jerked his head to the side. Durbe was looking into the bathroom, a worried expression on his face. "Are you feeling alright? You are looking very pale."

By that time, the pain in Sirius' head and neck had faded away. "I...," he began.

He turned away and picked up his book bag. "It's nothing," he said evasively. "I'm just not feeling so hot right now."

In an instant, Sirius was out of the restroom and on his way to his classroom.

Durbe, meanwhile, simply looked towards his brother, the worry refusing to stop eating away at him.

"Sirius...what's the matter with you?" he asked.

* * *

Durbe's worries continued to eat away at him all through school. Every hour, Sirius was looking worse, though he often tried to cover it up to the best of his ability. And every hour, a headache would attack him, as would a memory of flames of screams.

He could not block them out. He could only let them scream.

No matter how much he wanted otherwise.

After school had ended that day, and everybody was packing up, Yuma jumped up and said, "Alright! DUELING TIME!"

"Oh, yeah!" Alit exclaimed. "This'll be great!"

"Even I have to agree," Astral said. "I am interested in where this dueling tournament is going to be heading."

"Yeah," Sirius said softly. "Same here."

All eyes turned to him.

Sirius was as pale as a ghost. His face was covered in sweat and his eyes were nearly glazed over.

"Sirius?" Durbe asked slowly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"That's the third time I've been asked that," Sirius said. "I'm just," he sighed irritatedly, placing his hand against his face; "I need some air."

Quickly, he raced towards the door to the classroom, scooping his book bag up from his desk.

"Sirius-san!" Lyra exclaimed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"It's nothing," Sirius said. "I just need some air."

"But what about the dueling tournament?" Yuma asked.

"It's starting in a few hours," Alit said. "I've been wanting to duel you forever."

"I'll be there!" Sirius said. "Now just leave me alone!"

With that, he left the classroom and out the school.

* * *

The Barian Portal opened up, and Sirius stepped out, falling forward and landing on his hands. His neck began to ache again, forcing him to slap his hand against his hand. "This is starting to get a little annoying," he said. "Where the heck did I even go?"

He pulled his hand away again, only this time, he found something.

Dirt. Caked onto his hand.

He looked down.

He was staring at a dirt-covered ground. He looked forward. Fallen houses, burnt to the ground.

Forcing himself up, he looked around with wide eyes. "This place," he said to himself, "I know it."

He slowly turned himself around, backing himself up as his neck continued to ache. Then he nearly tripped when his foot hit against something buried beneath the dirt.

Something made entirely of stone.

His eyes widened as the world began to spin.

His ears were attacked with peoples' screams. Shutting his eyes tightly, he clapped his hands over his ears and fell to his knees.

* * *

_A maniacal smile._

_A dark aura._

_A clawed hand._

_"__My master! You killed my master!"_

_Blood._

_A dyed red world._

_The fires of a village, the screaming of its people._

_"__Sirius-san!"_

_"__Siri-chan!"_

* * *

"STOP!" Sirius shouted, pressing his hand against his neck. "Stop it! Stop screaming at me! It's not my fault!"

He then pulled his hands away from his neck.

Then his eyes widened.

That time, he saw something he didn't want to see.

Blood.

His eyes directed themselves down. While he couldn't see it, he knew that his scar had reopened.

A scar no longer.

A wound once more.

A wound from a soldier of battle.

His eyes glazed over and he fell to the ground.

"Durbe...nii..."

* * *

PREVIEW

A past threatening to tear Sirius apart. A brother incapable of helping him through. A duel between prince and knight that cannot be denied. As the poison continues to eat away at the Guardian, what can the Emperor do? Must he sit by as his brother suffers? Or can he find some way to help him through this turmoil? Next time on Zexal: Sickness and Memories.

* * *

**D.T.B: Hi again. Did the preview this time. Yuma didn't wanna.**

**Yuma: Sirius! What the heck are you doing with him?**

**D.T.B: Bein' stupid, I guess.**

**Sirius: That's putting it lightly.**

**Vector: Prepare yourselves! I'm finally coming back into the story!**

**Durbe: Unfortunately, correct.**

**Leonis: As will I!**

**D.T.B: Yeah. You guys wanted him, so he's getting a small role. Sorry.**


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 5

Sickness and Memories

* * *

Durbe leaned against the wall outside the tournament area. The worry that had eating at him was still gnawing at his heart, even more so than before. "Augh, come on!" Alit whined. "Shouldn't Sirius be here by now? I wanted to try and duel him."

"Sirius-san will be here," Lyra said. "He doesn't make promises he can't keep."

"That's true," Antares said, looking this way and that. "One time, I made him promise me that he'd eat a chocolate bar and that he'd eat it all. He did it, but he got sick for three days after."

"Antares," Lyra whined. "That wasn't a promise. That was a dare."

Durbe looked at him with widened eyes. "You got him to eat a sweet?" he asked.

"Yeah," Antares responded. "Took beating him in a duel five times in a row though, and the results definitely weren't worth it." He folded his arms across his chest and started thinking for a minute. Then a grin crossed his face as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey. Siri-chan!"

No response. Just three sweat drops.

"The nickname's cool," Alit said, "but why the heck did you say that?"

Antares sweat dropped himself. "Heh," went Antares. "Yeah. He's not around here. Otherwise, he would have killed me for calling him that."

Durbe sighed as he looked up to the cloudless sky. Then his eyes widened as a chest pain attacked his body. One more powerful than simple worry.

Doubling over and thrusting his hands to his chest, he shut his eyes tightly and suppressed a grunt.

"Huh?" went Alit. "Eh. Durbe!? What's the matter?"

"What's up, Durbe?" Antares asked. "Stomach ache?"

"N-No," Durbe choked. "Sirius..."

"Sirius-san?" Lyra asked worriedly. "What about him?"

The images of a broken village flashed through his mind, as well as Sirius' cries.

"_Stop it! Stop screaming at me! It's not my fault!"_

Durbe's shut his eyes even tighter.

"_Durbe...nii..._"

Suddenly, Durbe's eyes shot open. "Sirius!" he exclaimed softly. (Weird, huh?)

"Okay, now you're freaking me out," Antares said. "What's the matter? Is it something with Sirius?"

Durbe nodded.

Then Lyra placed her hands on her chest, worry beginning to gnaw at her own heart. "Sirius-san," she squeaked.

"I guess it's true about that twin connection thing," Antares said. "Except it's probably stronger in Barian twins." He walked over to Durbe and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Do you know where he is?"

"Possibly," Durbe said, straightening himself up.

"The village," Lyra choked out. All eyes were on her. "The village where we grew up."

"We?" Durbe asked.

"How about we ignore the 'we' and go see if he's there?" Antares suggested. "He's been looking really sick for the past few days."

Alit nodded, as did Durbe.

Then Antares opened up the overlay network and jumped in, his fellow Barians following close behind.

Durbe himself was the last one to jump in. "Sirius," he thought worriedly.

* * *

Heavy breathing.

Blurred vision.

Aching muscles.

Sirius felt all of that. He could not force himself to move, but he could feel himself sinking. The wound on his neck refused to close, allowing the precious red liquid to flow freely. "Durbe-nii," he thought exhaustedly.

Suddenly, a cold hand touched his shoulder. While most of his strength had left him, he still had the ability to move his head to look up. He could not see his face, as it was concealed under an aquatic blue light, but he felt strangely...safe...around him. "Who...who is he?" Sirius thought.

"_Don't worry, Sirius,_" the man said. "_I am not going to hurt you. In fact, I wish to help you._"

"Wh-Why?" Sirius choked out. "Why do you...want to help me?"

The man gave no answer, other than a light smile hidden beneath an azure hue. Then he lifted Sirius up from the ground and held him in his arms.

Sirius didn't understand why, but he felt strangely accustomed to the feeling of the man's muscles holding him up. If only he knew why...

* * *

The overlay network reopened to a village of dirt and filth. No grass, only mud and destruction. "What is this place?" Durbe asked breathlessly as he stepped out.

Lyra looked around, her hands clapped over her mouth. "It's...our home," she choked. "It's where we grew up."

"We?" Durbe thought curiously.

"Man!" Alit exclaimed. "This place is a dump. You think people would have cleaned it up after maybe 500 years."

"They couldn't find it," Antares said simply. "This village's greatest strength was the fact that it was hidden from sight. Helped keep them out of war."

"Whoa," Alit breathed. "It did?"

Durbe merely gave a nod, followed by him looking around the village. Wherever his brother was, he was not well. The sooner they found him, the better. "Sirius," he called out. "Sirius, where are you?"

Then he froze, noticing something on the ground.

A card.

And not just any card.

Guardian Wolf.

His heart leapt into his throat when he realized what that meant. "Sirius," he breathed, picking the card up from the ground and holding it between his fingers. "He wouldn't have left her here." He started looking this way and that. "Sirius, where are you?"

He got back on his feet and started looking around, the memories of his childhood flowing through his mind.

* * *

_Durbe's light laughter filled the air around them._

_His tiny brother was struggling to keep up with him, his breath growing heavier with each step he took. "D-Durbe-nii," little Sirius whimpered. "H-Hang on a minute."_

_Durbe paused, then turned around. "Sirius?" he asked. "What's the matter?"_

_Sirius then fell to his hands and feet, his breath barely escaping and entering his lungs. _

_"__Sirius!" Durbe exclaimed, racing over to his brother's side. "Sirius!"_

* * *

"Sirius-san!"

Durbe was snapped out of his thoughts by the shriek that escaped Lyra. "What was that?" Alit asked.

"That was Lyra!" Antares responded. "Come on!"

The boys quickly raced up a hill, a small house forming in the distance. Durbe narrowed his eyes. He recognized that home.

Without wasting neither a breath nor a second, Antares and Alit shoved the door open, allowing them to catch a glimpse of Lyra. "Lyra!" Antares exclaimed, racing into the house. "What's the matter? You found him?"

Lyra cast them a glance as Durbe entered the home.

Then his eyes widened and his breath was caught in his throat.

Sirius was on one of two rickety beds, an old blanket covering his body. His complexion was florid, his breathing weak and almost unnoticeable. Slowly, Durbe made his way to his brother's side. "Sirius," he breathed. "Sirius, are you alright?"

He then reached forward to touch his brother's cheek and froze again. Slowly and uneasily, he pulled his hand away from Sirius' neck.

Then he saw it.

Blood.

Dark red blood.

"What...is this?" Durbe choked out.

Lyra started crying again as she touched Sirius' cold face.

"That red stuff," Alit said, pointing to the youth's neck. "That's...blood, isn't it?"

"Congratulations, Alit," Antares said. "You got it in one."

Durbe slowly lifted Sirius from the bed. The blood around his scar had long since dried, but that hardly calmed his nerves. "Sirius," he thought worriedly, gritting his teeth to suppress his fear.

Sirius unconsciously rubbed his head against his brother's shoulder. "Chichiue," he breathed softly.

Durbe's eyes widened while Antares' narrowed. "He's going to need help," Antares said. "Let's get him back to Heartland."

Durbe nodded only slightly.

Then Antares opened the network again, allowing them to return to the apartment Sirius was renting.

* * *

(Just a little later.)

Durbe gently dabbed his brother's flaming head with a wet cloth. Sirius' condition had yet to improve, even after cleaning and dressing his wound. He was still panting heavily, his face scarlet with fever. Every now and then, he would begin to toss and turn, but would quickly settle back down.

It was as if he was being haunted by terrible nightmares.

"Sirius," Durbe breathed.

Then Antares poked his head into the room. "Hey, Durbe?" he asked, prompting the Emperor to turn to face him. "Sirius has a visitor."

Curiosity swept through Durbe, something that showed on his face. Then Antares stepped to the side, allowing the visitor to come in.

Aquarii.

Her eyes were swimming with worry, light tears threatening to pour down her face. "Aquarii-san," Durbe breathed.

The Barian Guardian Leader then slowly stepped into the room, followed by directing her gaze to the bedridden boy. Then Durbe stepped away from Sirius' side, allowing her to bend down and touch Sirius' cheek.

Shortly after, Sirius showed signs of waking up. His eyes opened a small crack and he looked up to Aquarii. "A-Aquarii-san," he choked out wearily.

"Are you in pain?" Aquarii asked.

"I-It's burning," Sirius said. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't-I didn't mean to."

Aquarii and Durbe both raised an eyebrow at that. "You didn't mean to what?" Durbe asked.

Aquarii bit her lip. It looked to her like Sirius was on the verge of tears.

It was as if he was still wrapped in a terrible nightmare.

After a brief hesitation, Aquarii did something nobody saw coming.

She wrapped Sirius in a hug, her eyes shaking with emotion. One hand was buried in his soft white hair, the other touching his small shoulder.

"Aquarii-san," Durbe thought, his eyes bordering on wide.

"Get some rest, Sirius," Aquarii said. "You have more than earned it."

Sirius' eyes began to flutter. "A-Aquarii...san..."

Then he fell asleep, his weak form going limp in Aquarii's arms.

A second or two passed before Aquarii eventually set him back down and covered him with his blanket. Then she slowly brought her hand to his bandaged neck, stroking the wound in a motherly way.

This was not lost on the Barian Emperor standing right beside her.

The sound of a door opening could be heard from the living room.

"Uh, Aquarii-san?" went Antares from the outside of the room.

Aquarii turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Did you call somebody else?" he asked. "Because we've got another Barian out here."

Aquarii stood tall as the Barian entered.

A bulky Barian.

And one that brought shivers up Durbe's spine.

Leonis.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Durbe asked.

Leonis remained silent, his eyes burning into the Emperor's.

"I called him here," Aquarii asked, her gaze directed to Durbe. "He was once a doctor. He would know how to help Sirius."

Leonis then walked into the room. "If you don't mind," he said, giving a 'please step out of the way' gesture.

Durbe did not move for a moment. Rather, he kept his gaze on Leonis.

"Don't worry," Leonis said. "I have no intention of hurting your brother."

Naturally, Durbe wasn't convinced.

"Don't fear, Durbe-san," Aquarii said. "His status of Barian Guardian has been temporarily stripped. Harming Sirius in any way would risk permanent loss of his status. And Leonis would not risk such a thing."

Durbe 'tch-ed' and looked away. (Yes. He 'tched.') Then his eyes were directed to his brother.

His weak, ailing brother.

"Very well," he relented, stepping out of the room with a scowl on his face.

Aquarii touched Leonis' shoulder as she followed after Durbe out. "Please, Leonis," she said, "do what you can for him."

"I shall," Leonis said solemnly.

* * *

Aquarii slowly drank a cup of tea as she waited for Leonis to bring them news on Sirius' condition. Her hands began to tremble as she did so, something she attempted to soothe to the best of her ability.

Goes without saying she was doing a fairly poor job.

"Excuse me," Durbe said suddenly.

Aquarii jerked her head to face him. "Yes?" she asked, doing her best to sound calm.

"What up, Durbe-san?" Antares asked from the kitchen. "Worried?"

"'Curious' would be the better word," Durbe said. "Aquarii-san, I want to ask you something."

"And what might that be?" Aquarii asked.

Durbe narrowed his eyes. "I am curious. Do you make it a habit to embrace your Guardians like that?"

Aquarii quickly tensed up. Her eyes trembled as she thought up her excuse. "Only the newer ones," she said. "Sirius has been in the Guardians for the shortest amount of time. He is also the youngest in the Guardians, apart from Lyra-chan. I feel...I often feel like he is my son."

Durbe felt like raising an eyebrow when she said that.

"It's not difficult to form a familial bond with Sirius, Durbe," Antares said, placing his elbows on the counter. "Well, as long as he lets you, anyway."

Durbe looked to his hand. "I understand," he said. "It just...reminded me of something."

"Of what?" Aquarii asked curiously.

Durbe thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't remember."

Silence.

A lot of it.

Then the door to the bedroom opened up, prompting all eyes to look to see Leonis exiting the bedroom. He then proceeded to close the door slowly, allowing the young boy within to have some silence as he slept. Instantly, Aquarii lifted herself out of the chair and let her mouth hang agape. "Is he-?" she began.

Leonis shook his head. "I'm sorry, Leader," he said, "but this is not something I can cure. What Sirius is suffering from is a poison that made its way into his system before he became a Barian."

Antares' eyes widened when he heard that.

"Because it wasn't made by a Barian, and before his death as a human, it shall have to leave him on its own," Leonis continued. "I'm sorry."

"I see," Aquarii said softly.

"So you're saying that Sirius was poisoned before his death and that poison somehow followed him to his life as a Barian?" Durbe asked. "How is that possible?"

Leonis shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know," he said. "Perhaps the return of his memories after meeting you triggered something inside him."

"Possible," Antares said suddenly. "When we all first met Lyra, she wouldn't stop crying, for some reason. Not only that, whenever she gets a really bad nightmare, she flames up. Like she was literally on fire."

Durbe's eyes were directed to Antares, followed by them narrowing slightly.

* * *

Rain began to fall later that night. Thunder would occasionally clap overhead, but other than that, it was unusually silent.

For a Barian's apartment, anyway.

Aquarii had left the apartment, as did Leonis, leaving Durbe in the middle of the dining room, his grey eyes directed to the cup of coffee in his hand. His thoughts, however, were directed to the sickly boy, resting the bedroom.

Sirius.

Blame his brotherly bond, but Durbe simply couldn't stop worrying about him.

He simply...couldn't.

A sigh escaped him as Antares exited the bathroom, dressed in his pajamas, a toothbrush against his teeth. "You're not in bed?" Antares asked through the toothpaste.

"I don't wish to go to sleep," Durbe said simply, his eyes refusing to move from the coffee in his hand. "Not with Sirius like that."

Antares sighed. "He's gonna be fine," he said. "He's not the kind of person to let something like this slow him down."

Durbe lowered the cup as Antares walked back into the bathroom and spit his toothpaste out into the sink.

Brief silence.

Then a ringing sound echoed throughout the kitchen, startling Durbe slightly as he pulled his D-Gazer out of his pocket. (Yeah. He got one. Cool, huh?) The flickering screen and the repetitive beeping was enough to say that someone was calling him. Placing his cup down on the countertop, Durbe freed his hand so he could press the answer button.

Instantly, Alit's face appeared on the lens.

"_Durbe!_" he shouted. "_Good! I finally got you. You really should have thought of a better D-Gazer number. I called everybody I know __**but**__ you the last twenty times_."

"Please get to the point, Alit," Durbe said, rubbing his head.

"_Well,_" Alit began awkwardly.

Oh man. What did Alit do that time?

"_Remember when you told me to go check up on Vector?_" Alit asked. "_Because you were worried about something?"_

"Yes," Durbe said. "It was this morning. Why?"

"_Well,_" Alit pointed the D-Gazer to the bedroom where Vector was confined.

Very...**very**...heavy stress on 'was.'

_"__I think he left when we weren't looking."_

Durbe's heart skipped a beat when he saw that. "Hang on a second!" Antares exclaimed. "What do you mean he left? I thought you guys had him locked up."

"Perhaps he wanted us to believe that," Durbe said. "He's been very quiet for the past few days. It was...worrisome."

"_So, uh, what do you think we should do?_" Alit asked. "_Because let me tell you right now. Misael ain't happy._"

"I can only imagine," Durbe sighed.

A strange sound from the bedroom stopped the conversation. Instantly, Durbe jerked his head to the ajar door.

An ajar door that wasn't ajar before.

"Sirius," Durbe breathed, placing his D-Gazer on the counter and racing over to the door.

Then he swung it open.

Then both he and Antares paled.

Sirius was gone, the window beside him open wide.

His deck was gone also, as was his clothes, and a handkerchief that he had on the nightstand.

"Sirius," Durbe breathed, this time a little more worriedly.

"This isn't good," Antares said. "Who knows where he could have gone. Especially in the weather outside."

"I don't know," Durbe said, "but I can hazard a guess." He raced back over to his D-Gazer and gave Alit a single command.

Find Vector.

* * *

Sirius walked through the darkened hallways underneath the Ruins of Number 44. His hand was thrust up to his neck, his breath coming out short and raspy. The tips of his hair were covered in rain water, and his skin was florid.

Whatever was hurting him was doing a mighty fine job of it.

"Jyan, jyan, jyan!" a dark laugh rang out.

Sirius squinted as he made his way into a large room.

With Vector sitting in a chair, a grin on his face.

* * *

PREVIEW

What the HUH!? It looks like Sirius is gonna go and duel Vector. But that's crazy! He's too sick to do something like that! Sirius! Get the heck out of there! Before the floor EXPLODES or something! ...Hang on a second. Why are you in that armor, Sirius?

Huh. Guess we'll have to find out when Zexal returns in Episode 6: A Duel Between Prince and Knight!

Guess we'll see you guys soon.

* * *

**D.T.B: Running away from home while you're sick must be a new thing, huh?  
Sirius: Oh, Barian World.**

**D.T.B: See you later, guys. Look forward to the next chapter. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**D.T.B: To your kind reviews last chapter:**

**{DisneyAnimeFan94} - Yep. It's Vector. :)**

**{Matarra} - Well, here's the update. Hope you pull through and see this through to the end. **

**{Jean(Guest)} - Don't I wish.**

* * *

Episode 6

A Duel Between Prince and Knight

* * *

"Jyan, jyan, jyan."

Sirius growled between his teeth. He knew that irksome laugh anywhere.

"Vector," he spat. "There you are."

"Hi, Sirius," Vector chuckled, leaning against the throne as he leered at the ailing Barian Guardian. "What's the matter? You don't look too hot."

"Cut the jokes, Vector," Sirius growled. "They're far from wanted."

"Alright," Vector said, feigning a hurt sigh. "So I suppose we shall just get to the matter at hand. That okay with you?"

"Perfect," Sirius growled.

Vector grinned some more, then jumped off the throne and landed several yards away from Sirius. "Let me guess," he said, placing his hand against his head as if in thought. "You found that I escaped from my imprisonment, so you came – like the loyal Barian Guardian you are – to duel me, arrest me, and take me to Barian World."

"And lock you in the darkest dungeon," Sirius added. "But yeah, you get the picture."

"Aw," went Vector, tilting his head to the side. "That just won't do. I still need to collect the Numbers, you know."

Sirius growled angrily.

"But apparently, you don't care," Vector said. "How cold." His feigned look of disconsolation then turned into a grin. "Oh, well. I'll just take **your** Numbers then."

"You'll find that they're going to be rather difficult to take," Sirius said. "I'll make sure of that, Vector."

Vector chuckled evilly as he readied his duel disk.

"**What are you doing, Vector?**" Don Thousand asked with a grumble. (Sarcastically: No way on Barian World. Don Thousand is still there.) "**This boy does not have the Numbers we are searching for.**"

"_I know,_" Vector mentally responded. "_But it wouldn't be any fun, just letting him walk around like this. Besides...,_" he paused for several moments; "_there's something about him that's driving me completely nuts. Defeating him will finally get that annoyance out of my life._"

"**Very well,**" Don Thousand responded. "**But move quickly.**"

"_With pleasure._"

The grin on his face increased as his body lit up. "Bariarphose!" he shouted, shifting from human to Barian in an instant.

Sirius grunted. "Very well," he said. "Let's duel, Vector!"

He threw his hand to the side, his duel disk appearing on his arm. "Duel Disk, SET!" he shouted.

Then he pulled his D-Gazer out of his pocket and tucked it over his ear. "D-Gazer, SET!"

"Using that human equipment?" Vector asked in mock disbelief. "What? Can't you use your Barian Form?"

"Does it matter?" Sirius asked, ignoring the question altogether.

He didn't want to admit to it, but Vector was right. Sirius couldn't use his Barian Form. His body felt so weak, it wouldn't be able to take the strain of transformation if he even attempted Bariarphose.

Naturally, there was no way he was going to admit that to his enemy. So instead, he drew his cards, his grey eyes staring Vector down with great rage.

"**LET'S DUEL!**"

* * *

"Sirius!" Yuma shouted, racing from one end of the school to the other. "Sirius! Where are you!? Come on! We just wanna help you!"

"I do not believe that Sirius is here, Yuma," Astral said. "Though even if he was, he would not respond to your calls."

"And that's because...," Yuma drawled.

"Someone who's left through his window wouldn't usually answer when someone calls them," Ryoga groaned. "He ran away, didn't he?"

"Oh, right," Yuma said.

Astral let out a terrible sigh, followed by placing his hand on his forehead.

Meanwhile, near the dueling area, Durbe was looking up to the sky. His hair was damp from the rain, his eyes lowered to the ground. As he clenched his fist in seething frustration, Rio touched his shoulder. "Don't worry, Durbe," she said. "We'll find him."

Durbe let out a sigh. "I hope so," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

* * *

"I'll go first, Siri-chan!" Vector said. "Ore no turn! DRAW!" He grabbed hold of his card and ripped it from his deck. "I special summon two Umbral Ghosts!"

Both monsters appeared on the field, their yellow eyes snapping in the shadows of their hoods.

[Umbral Ghost. Lv. 2. 200 ATK, 200 DEF]

Sirius let out an irked growl, his grip on his hand tightening.

Then Vector threw his hand into the air. "Now, I overlay both my Umbral Ghosts!" he declared.

Then both monsters vanished into the network. "XYZ SHOUKAN!"

The overlay network then exploded into thousands of lights.

Sirius caught himself taking a quick step back, his pale hand up against his face to protect himself from the wind.

If Vector wasn't in his Barian Form, a grin would have formed on his face. "Arewarero, Number 65!"

Sirius backed away again, his eyes wide with terror. "Number 65?" he breathed. "You have it!?"

Vector didn't answer that one. Instead, he continued the chant.

"The cursed executioner of judgement, Judge Buster!"

The monster appeared on the field, his blades at the ready.

[Judge Buster. Rank 2. 1300 ATK, 0 DEF]

"I'll end my turn with one card facedown," Vector said, laying a card facedown. "Now...let's see what you can do, little Siri-chan."

"Don't call me Siri-chan!" Sirius snapped. "Boku no turn! DRAW!"

He pulled his card from his deck and flipped it over in an instant. "And I summon Sacred Wing – Unicorn!"

The unicorn then appeared on the field, its fur glistening as he shook his mane.

[Sacred Wing – Unicorn. Lv. 4. 1500 ATK, 1200 DEF]

"Now, I special summon Sacred Wing – Giant Eagle!" Sirius declared, throwing his second monster onto the field. "So come on out, Giant Eagle!"

The fledgling then flew down to the field, his auburn eyes burning into Judge Buster.

[Sacred Wing – Giant Unicorn. Lv. 4. 1400 ATK, 1200 DEF]

Sirius then threw his hand forward. "Now, I sacrifice Sacred Wing – Unicorn and Giant Eagle!"

Both monsters became glittering lights, which then formed into a golden sword that Sirius proceeded to take from the air. "Grand Beast of the Land of Light," he chanted, spinning the sword in his hand, "release yourself from your chains and become my servant!" Quickly, he ceased the spinning of his blade and plunged it into the ground. "Arewarero!" he shouted, the scar on his neck glowing with a red light. "Sacred Wing – Guardian Wolf!"

The great wolf then pulled herself out from under the ground and shook the debris out of her soft white fur, her demonic wings unfurling as she let out a growl.

[Sacred Wing – Guardian Wolf. Lv. 10. 2800 ATK, 3000 DEF]

A throbbing sensation suddenly attacked his neck, forcing Sirius to double over, pressing his hand against his scar. "B-Blast it," he thought furiously. "Now of all times."

"_Sirius-sama._"

Sirius forced himself to look up to Guardian Wolf. Then he grinned. "Don't call me that," he whispered.

"You look even worse than five minutes ago, Siri-chan," Vector laughed. "You sure you can handle this duel?"

"I know I can't," Sirius thought. "But there's no way I'm letting **you** know that."

Sirius then held his hand up towards the ceiling. "Now, Guardian Wolf, attack Judge Buster! Grand Wolf Pounce!"

The young wolf then let out a resounding roar as she leapt forward, her alabaster claws ready to cut the Number to shreds.

"Thanks to Guardian Wolf's ability, your Number can be destroyed in battle!" Sirius growled. "On top of that, you can't activate any of his other special abilities!"

Now it was Vector's turn to take a step back.

Then Guardian Wolf's attack connected, the field exploding into a cloud of smoke.

[Vector – 4000 → 2500 LP]

A moment passed.

Then another.

Then Vector let out a cackle.

"N-Nani!?" went Sirius, his hand trembling.

"Trap, hatsudo," Vector chuckled, the smoke clearing to reveal a trap card on the field. "**Poisoned Umbral Memory!**"

Sirius' eyes widened.

"This little trap is a real beauty," Vector said. "My Number's special abilities return," he pointed to Sirius; "and **your** monster loses hers."

"WHAT?!" Sirius shouted, raising his eyes to his wolf.

True to what Vector said, Guardian Wolf was leaning against her front legs, weakness clear on her well-toned body.

"So her ability to negate other effects," Vector said, "has been lost. As well as her ability to not be destroyed in battle. 'Course, I still take the damage, but I can live with that."

Sirius let out an angered growl. Then he 'tch-ed.' "Kaado ichi mai sette," he said. "Turn en-"

He couldn't advance much further than that, however, as a throbbing sensation attacked his neck again, forcing him to grasp his neck to soothe the pain.

He fell to his knees, the world around him darkening.

* * *

Durbe raced through the streets of Heartland, his breath catching up to him once in a while. "Sirius," he thought to himself, "where could you have gone?"

He stopped in the middle of an crossroad, his head jerking this way and that as he caught his breath. "Oh, Sirius," he breathed. "Wherever could you have gone?"

His heart suddenly skipped a beat and he doubled over, his eyes wide with surprise. It felt like someone kicked him in the gut, forcing all his breath to leave him. Then the world darkened and Durbe could feel himself being pulled away...

Into a abysmal darkness...

"_Shingetsu-sama!_"

Durbe's eyes suddenly snapped open and he found himself in the middle of a darkened room. Two boys, hidden in the shadows, looked to be fighting.

With monsters.

A Yami no Game.

"What is this?" Durbe asked.

"Shingetsu-sama!" a voice shouted again.

Durbe jerked his head.

Then his eyes widened.

It was Sirius, dressed in the armor of a wandering knight. His hands were trembling, his eyes fighting off tears.

He threw his hand to the side. Durbe was quick to notice the blood flowing from under his glove. "Please, Shingetsu-sama," Sirius said, "this is not the way. Were you not the one who wanted peace? We don't have fight like this! I thought..."

"Yes, we do, little Siri-chan!" Vector shouted back, his prince outfit hanging loosely on his thin frame. "You chose not to help me in my battle against the United Lands. Now you deign to challenge me to this battle, hoping that you'll beat me in my own game?"

"Shingetsu-sama," Sirius breathed. "I had thought...I had hoped..."

"Your thoughts and hopes don't matter anymore, Siri-chan!" Vector said. "Judge Buster! Attack Guardian Wolf!"

"Have you gone completely mad!?" Sirius exclaimed. "Guardian has more attack points!"

"Not for long, she doesn't," Vector said. "I activate my Magic, **Shadow Gain**! This little number allows my monster to absorb **your **monster's power!"

Sirius' eyes widened.

"WHAT?!" Durbe exclaimed. "No! Sirius!"

* * *

"Alright, little Siri-chan!" Vector said. "It's my turn! I draw!"

Sirius struggled in forcing himself onto his elbows and knees.

Vector quickly looked at his card and 'grinned.' "Now, I play the spell card, Shadow Gain!"

"Wh-What?" Sirius choked out.

"This allows Judge Buster to gain all your precious Guardian Wolf's attack points!"

Sirius growled angrily as he forced himself to his feet. "G-Guardian."

The great wolf couldn't move an inch; her body felt so heavy.

[Guardian Wolf – 2800 → 0 ATK]

[Judge Buster – 1300 → 4100 ATK]

"Now, Judge Buster," Vector declared, "attack Guardian Wolf!"

The Legendary Number then lunged forward, his claws at the ready.

All Guardian could do was growl.

"Guardian Wolf!" Sirius shouted.

"O...T...K," Vector said with a 'grin.' "Bye, bye, Siri-chan."

"Trap, hatsudo!" Sirius declared. "**Sunburst Moonfall!**"

His card then flipped itself face-up on the field. "With this card, if one of your DARK attribute monsters attacks one of my LIGHT attribute monsters," he winced slightly; "this card saves my monster and halves any damage I take!"

"Protecting your monster and your life points," Vector said. "Too bad it's not going to protect you, Siri-chan!"

Sirius breathed heavily as he lowered his duel disk. "Don't...call me Siri-chan," he whispered.

Then that familiar, nauseating feeling erupted in Sirius' throat, forcing him to the ground into a coughing fit.

Then Judge Buster attacked Guardian, who's only protection was a soft yellow shield that appeared around her body.

[Sirius – 4000 → 1950 LP]

"Shingetsu...sama... Durbe...nii..."

* * *

Durbe's heart skipped a beat again, his head pounding as he fell against the wall. "Sirius," he choked. "What's going on? What... is all this?"

"_Shingetsu...sama... Durbe...nii..._"

"Sirius?!" Durbe exclaimed.

"_Durbe...nii..._"

Instantly, Durbe's deck started glowing, something he checked as quickly as he could. Then he pulled a card out of his deck.

A card that Sirius had given to him during a visit to the hospital.

**Holy Lightning – Sacred Knight.**

A tall knight with a spear in his hands, standing in a battle ready position.

And it was glowing.

"Sirius," Durbe breathed.

He then pressed the card against his chest. "Sirius, where are you?" he asked. "At least give me a hint."

His 'hint' came as quickly as a puppy nipping at his pant leg.

Actually, it **was** a puppy nipping at his pant leg.

"Huh?" went Durbe, looking down to see a white puppy with big blue eyes.

Worried big blue eyes.

"You're Sirius' pet," Durbe connected, getting down on his knees and picking the puppy up. "What are you doing here?"

Corvus could only let out a worried yip.

Unfortunately for Durbe, he lacked his brother's ears when it came to understanding animals. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said.

Corvus paused, then squirmed out of Durbe's hold. Then he jumped into the middle of the road and started throwing his front paws into the air, a strange whine escaping his throat. When Durbe raised an eyebrow, Corvus let out a growl.

He totally wasn't getting it.

So how did Corvus further his point?

He ripped Durbe's deck off of his belt, allowing the cards to spill to the floor. "H-Hey!" Durbe exclaimed.

But Corvus paid no heed. Instead, he dug one of the cards out from underneath the pile and pulled it to the surface.

A trap card.

Saint's Shield.

"What are you trying to say?" Durbe asked. "I don't understand."

Corvus, again ignoring whatever escaped Durbe's mouth, then repeated his movements and growls.

Then Durbe looked a little more closely.

The way he was throwing himself back; it reminded Durbe of Mach. More specifically, the statue he'd seen when posing as Nasch.

Mach's statue.

Saint's Shield.

The realization struck him instantly.

"The ruins!" Durbe exclaimed. "Is that what you're saying? Sirius is at the ruins?"

Corvus jumped and yipped happily.

Finally. Durbe got it.

Without waiting, Corvus jumped into Durbe's arms, a yip escaping his chest as Durbe vanished into the overlay network.

"Sirius," Durbe breathed.

* * *

PREVIEW

PUUUU! Looks like Durbe's finally found his brother. Alright, Siri-chan! Time for some answers! Huh?! SIRI-CHAN! Speak to us! What's the matter with you!? And why is Durbe about to duel? You want the answers too? Then you'll have to watch the next episode of Zexal: For Sirius!

Ready yourself, Vector! You just made the wrong Barian really angry!


	7. Chapter 7

Episode 7

For Sirius!

* * *

Durbe's eyes opened, and he found himself standing before the Ruins of Number 44. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as hardly an echo came out of the darkened stone walls. "Sirius," he breathed, "are you in there?"

"_Durbe...nii..._"

Well, that gave him his answer.

He knew that voice anywhere. "Sirius!" he exclaimed.

Instantly, the warm ball of white fur pulled itself out of Durbe's arms and raced into the Ruins. "Matte, Corvus!" Durbe called out.

When the puppy failed to offer a response, Durbe followed close behind him, all the blood draining from his face. "Sirius," he thought worriedly, "what's going on in here? What are you doing in here?"

Everything became a blur of grey and black for the next few minutes. He couldn't hear his breathing, nor could he feel his heart pounding as he ran. Only the white ball of fuzz was visible in his eyes, as well as the feeling that his feet were hitting the ground and propelling him forward.

Only a single thought reaching his mind.

"Sirius..."

Then the room cleared up, and the light became vivid.

"Sirius!"

The entire room went bright, allowing Durbe's eyes to clear...

Then everything froze.

There Sirius was...on the ground...his whole body limp.

* * *

Durbe's eyes widened with terror. His legs felt like twigs, threatening to break at a moment's notice. "S-Sirius," he choked out.

Nothing.

Not even a groan.

A whine escaped little Corvus as he reached Sirius and began to poke at him with his nose. Almost as if he was crying out for his master.

That's when Sirius let out a terrible cough.

"Sirius!" Durbe exclaimed, making his way to his brother's side. Then he proceeded to give him a quick shake. Nothing too terrible, but he needed to know that Sirius was alright.

He wasn't.

Sirius was paler than a sheet, his fingers as cold as ice. His breaths came out short and weak, worrying Durbe all the more. "Sirius," Durbe breathed. "Come on. Wake up."

Sirius was just barely able to do so. His eyes opened a crack, allowing him to take in the blurry image of his brother's grey hair. "Durbe...nii..."

"Sirius, what's happened? You're as cold as death."

The laughter from the other side of the room gave Durbe his answer.

As well as the mocking "Jyan, jyan, jyan!"

Jerking his head to the side, he found that Vector was standing far away from them, his hands on his hips, his purple eyes locked in on the twins. "I'll tell you what happened, Durbe," he said. "Your little brother challenged me to a duel!"

"A duel?" Durbe asked. He looked down to his brother, who merely turned away.

"That's right! And he's on the losing side. Some brother of yours, huh?"

That prompted Sirius to grit his teeth weakly.

Durbe then hung his head. "Sirius," he breathed.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered. "I...I wanted..."

"Don't talk," Durbe responded. "Just rest, Sirius."

"Huh?"

Even Corvus let out a strange whimper as Durbe sat Sirius against the wall, doing his best to make his brother comfortable. Then Durbe forced himself to stand up, his duel disk forming on his arm. "Durbe-nii?" went Sirius curiously, all the while fighting off unconsciousness again. "What are...you doing?"

"What's the matter, Durbe?" Vector asked. "You look rather-"

Vector froze in an instant when he saw the rather irked expression on Durbe's face, his Chaos power threatening to explode into Glorious Halo. "D-Durbe?"

"Vector," Durbe said, his voice adopting a low growl, "why did you choose to leave the Baria Crystal?"

Vector was shaking, though he was doing his best to hide it. His trademark 'sneer' appeared on his face as he gave his answer. "Because I was bored," he said. "You couldn't just expect me to stay all cooped up for a week, did you? Besides, something was bothering me about your kid brother."

"Him too?" Sirius thought curiously.

"So you chose to attack him when he was at his weakest?" Durbe growled. "That's low, Vector, even for you."

"Ah ah!" Vector exclaimed. "Let's get something straight here, Durbe. Siri-chan was the one who attacked me first. I simply dueled him after."

Durbe then looked over to Sirius, 'Is that true?' written all over his face.

Sirius merely turned away in shame.

"Sirius," Durbe thought somberly.

"It was my choice, Durbe-nii," Sirius said weakly. "He's low, but I chose to go after him like that."

"Sirius, be silent," Durbe said firmly.

"Huh?" went both Vector and Sirius.

"Vector, this duel is still on," Durbe said. "So I'll duel in my brother's place."

"What?" Vector whined.

"Durbe-nii!" Sirius snapped. "You don't have to clean up my mess!"

"I'm not," Durbe responded. "Vector chose to leave his cell to attack you. This has become personal."

Did Durbe-nii just admit to something becoming personal?" Sirius thought. "He hasn't done that in forever.""

Sirius then turned to the side. "Fine, then," he said. Do what you want."

Durbe smiled.

"Okay then," Vector said. "I'll just beat both brothers and walk out of here."

"I wouldn't be so certain, Vector," Durbe said, his face twisting into a scowl.

Quickly, he drew his cards, his life points flashing beside him.

[1950 LP]

"Fine then. Kaado ichi mai sette," Vector said, throwing his card onto the field. "So go right ahead and do your worst."

"Then my worst, you shall get, Vector," Durbe growled. "Watashi no turn! Draw!" He ripped his card from his deck and briefly examined it. "Now, I play the spell card, **Holy Lightning Summon!** This card allows me to summon two Holy Lightning monsters from my deck. So I summon Holy Lightning – Wings and Holy Lightning Sword!"

Both monsters appeared on the field, their glow brightening up the entire room.

"Next, I summon Holy Lightning – Books!"

The third monster appeared on the field, its pages closed to those around it.

"So he's gonna summon it," Sirius connected. "Be careful, Durbe-nii. You can't use his ability here."

Durbe then threw his hand into the air. "I overlay Holy Lightning – Books, Sword, and Wings!" he exclaimed. "XYZ SHOUKAN!"

The monsters then entered the overlay network.

Then the network exploded into garnet lights.

"Arewarero, Number 102: Holy Lightning – Glorious Halo!"

The great archer quickly made his appearance on the field, swinging his bow around his body.

[Holy Lightning – Glorious Halo. Rank 4. 2500 ATK, 2000 DEF]

"Brought out your ace already?" Vector asked. "You two really are brothers. But tell me, what do you expect to do with it?"

"This," Durbe responded. "I play the spell card, **Sacred Lightning Breaker!** With this card, I lose 200 life points," his life points dropped to 1750; "but your monster loses half its attack points."

"What!?"

Vector instantly jerked his head upward.

The attack points of his monster were going down. Quickly, I hasten to add.

[Judge Buster. 4100 ATK → 2050]

"Now, Glorious Halo! Attack Judge Buster! Lightning Cluster!"

"That's not fair!" Vector exclaimed. "You can't possibly destroy Judge Buster so quickly!"

"He's right," Sirius thought worriedly.

"Durbe-nii! Cancel the attack! Now!"

"Too late," Vector said suddenly, a 'grin' forming on his face. "I play my trap, **Umbral Death!**"

"Nani?" Durbe exclaimed.

Vector began to chuckle maniacally. "With this, one of your monsters are destroyed and you take the damage in my stead."

Durbe's eyes widened. That meant only one thing.

"And I think," Vector said, drawling out his syllables, "I'll destroy Glorious Halo."

The twins looked up to the monster in question. Glorious Halo could do nothing more than rest his bow against his side as he got down on his knee and lowered his head. Then he was grabbed by the shadows, pulling him into the darkness below.

"Glorious Halo!" Durbe shouted, his hand outstretched before him. A wave of pain then passed through his body, forcing him to his knees as his life points dropped.

[Durbe's LP – 1750 → 1300 LP]

"Durbe-nii!" Sirius exclaimed, struggling to pull himself to his feet.

Suddenly, another wave passed through his body, forcing Sirius to the ground, his hand up against his neck.

"Sirius!" Durbe shouted. "What's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing," Sirius replied, choking down the pain in his neck. "D-Don't worry about me."

"Sirius..."

Vector simply started laughing his head off. "You two kill me," he said. "You simply kill me."

"Silence, Vector," Durbe snapped. "Kaado ni mai sette. Turn end."

"Thank you," Vector said, giving them both a mocking bow. "Ore no turn! DRAW!" He then pulled his card from his deck and pointed to Durbe and Sirius. "Time to wipe the both of you out. Judge Buster! Attack Guardian Wolf!"

Sirius then clenched his fist. "If this attack gets through," he thought furiously, "we're going to lose this duel. Guardian...," he clenched his fist, tears threatening to pour down his cheeks; "Guardian will get hurt!"

"_Don't worry, Sirius. I won't let her get hurt._"

"Huh?"

"Trap, hatsudo!" Durbe declared. "**Guardian Shield!**"

Instantly, a bubble of light enveloped Guardian Wolf, stopping the attack of Judge Buster.

"Hold on!" Vector shouted. "What's that?!"

"Guardian Shield protects one monster on the field with 'Guardian' in its name," Durbe explained. "Your attack is negated and I take no damage."

Sirius sighed in relief, moments before wincing at the pain in his neck.

"_That card._"

"Guardian Wolf?"

Vector simply tched. "I'll end my turn, then," he said, throwing a card facedown. "I'll get you next turn, Durbe."

Durbe growled darkly. "We shall see about that, Vector," he said. "Watashi no turn! DRAW!"

He ripped his card out of his deck, his hand glowing with an alabaster glow.

Then Sirius let out a small gasp.

Then Durbe looked over to his card and nearly raised an eyebrow. "What is this?" he asked.

"Durbe-nii," Sirius called out.

The Barian Emperor turned around, allowing him to see his brother forcing himself to his feet.

"Sirius, stay down!" Durbe said. "You're sick!"

"I may be sick," Sirius said, his hand still firm against his neck, "but I hate being useless!" He forced himself to walk up to his brother. "Please, Durbe, let me help you win this duel."

"What?" Durbe asked in disbelief.

"You couldn't even win it on your own without fainting, Siri-chan," Vector said. "What makes you think you can help Durbe win, weak and helpless as you are?"

Sirius let out a soft growl as he allowed his head to fall against Durbe's back.

"Yeah, I am weak," Sirius thought. "And right now, I **am** helpless. But I...I don't want to fall without trying to stand first."

Durbe then gave a smile. "Very well," he said. "You may assist, Sirius."

Sirius, though his face was hidden, gave off a bright smile.

"Thank you, Durbe-nii," he thought.

He then forced himself to stand up.

Then the twins nodded to each other.

"Now, we activate," they said, "the spell card, **Guardian Charge!**"

"And that is?" Vector said, raising an 'eyebrow.'

Sirius grinned. "Oh, just your defeat," he said.

"This card allows us to release Guardian Wolf's true power," Durbe explained. "Think of it as a Rank-Up Magic for Level-type monsters."

"There's no such thing!" Vector shouted.

"There is for Guardian!" Sirius snapped back.

Both knight twins then cast their hands into the air. "Come on, Guardian!" Sirius commanded.

"Release your true self!" Durbe completed.

Guardian Wolf then narrowed her eyes, her fur glowing bright crimson. Then she let out a fierce howl, piercing the air with her cry.

"Great protector of the Sacred Skies," the boys chanted, "release yourself from your chains. Reveal yourself to those who doubted you. Break free from your earthly bonds and become the champion of those in need! Arewarero, **Sacred Wing – Lightning Guardian!**"

The light around Guardian then shattered into thousands of tiny lights.

There she stood, her fur a bright gold, a jewel-encrusted helmet on her head. A silver vest was draped over her muscular form. A bangle was on her right foreleg and her eyes were flashing with rage against her opponent.

[Sacred Wing – Lightning Guardian. Lv. 12. 3500, 3000 DEF]

"This is the last turn, Vector," Durbe said.

"And Guardian shall be the one to defeat you," Sirius completed, the pain in his neck fading away.

* * *

PREVIEW

PUU! It's time for the final showdown between Vector and the Knight twins. What's Lightning Guardian going to do? I can't wait to see. So let's all KATTOBINGU!

Sirius: YUMA! Don't ever use Mokona's start up line again!

Because you like it better when he does it?

Sirius: No! But you, like, totally ruin the catchphrase!

Okay then. Anyway, let's see what happens in the final chapter of Poisoned Memories: The END!

Sirius: I need to complain to my boss before her titles stop making sense.


	8. Chapter 8

Final Episode

The End

* * *

"This is the last turn, Vector," Durbe said.

"And Guardian shall be the one to defeat you," Sirius said, allowing his hand to fall to his side as the pain in his neck faded away.

"Guardian?" Vector asked, moments before letting out a laugh. "Yeah, right! She may have more attack points now, but there's no way she can beat me! And look at our life points!"

[Durbe & Sirius – 1300 LP]

[Vector – 2500 LP]

"Even if you attack Judge Buster, you won't be able to defeat me," Vector continued. "I'll only lose 1000 life points. Not that big a loss."

"That may be, Vector," Durbe said.

"But that's only if you look at the attack points," Sirius chuckled. "Have you already forgotten what we said about that spell card we played to summon Lightning Guardian?"

Vector raised an 'eyebrow.'

"Guardian Charge is a spell that releases Guardian Wolf's true power!" Durbe said, throwing his hand to the side.

Both boys then threw their hands forward.

"Lightning Guardian no kouka, hatsudo!" they shouted.

Guardian then let out a growl, her tail flicking from one side to the next. Then she jumped forward.

"On the turn that she's summoned, if she's battling a Number, not only are their abilities negated, but their attack points go down to zero!"

"Not going to happen!" Vector said. "Trap, hatsudo! **Judge Buster Judgement!**"

His facedown card flipped face-up. "When you activate an ability that's targeting Judge Buster, the ability is negated and your monster's attack points are cut in half until the next turn."

Sirius chuckled.

"Unlikely, Vector," Durbe said.

"What?" went Vector.

"Kaunta trap," Durbe declared, "**Twin Lightning Shield!**"

The second facedown flipped face-up.

"Wh-What is that!?"

"Twin Lightning Shield negates the activation of your trap card," Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. "**And** it gives Lightning Guardian an extra 500 points!"

"WHAT?!" Vector shouted.

"That has **got** to be the only word in Vector's vocabulary," Sirius thought nonchalantly.

[Lightning Guardian – 3500 → 4000 ATK]

"Not to mention that Judge Buster's attack goes down, per Guardian's effect," Durbe reminded.

[Judge Buster – 2050 → 0 ATK]

"Are you ready, Guardian?" Sirius thought with a smile.

Guardian gave a nod in response to her master's question.

Then the twins looked at one another before nodding themselves.

"Now, go, Lightning Guardian!" the twin shouted, throwing their hands into the air. (Durbe's right and Sirius' left.) "Lightning Wolf...POUNCE!"

Guardian's claws then began to spark violently as she jumped into the air.

"This is impossible!" Vector screamed.

"With Barians, very little is impossible, Vector!" Sirius shouted.

"I told you, Vector," Durbe growled. "You asked for my worst, so my worst you will get." His eyes narrowed in rage. "Never attack my family again."

With that, Guardian landed on top of Judge Buster, her power exploding into a lightning-infused sphere.

[Vector – 2500 → 0 LP]

"UUAAAH!" Vector exclaimed, finding himself being thrown off the field and into the old throne that he'd been sitting in.

The very same throne that was destroyed immediately after he came into contact with it.

In an instant, the duel was over, something that brought a sigh out of Durbe. "So it is over," he said.

"Yeah," Sirius breathed. "Thanks, Durbe-nii. And...I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Durbe said. "But, please, don't ever do something like this without first informing me. We are brothers, after all." He turned to his brother. "Aren't we?"

Then his eyes widened.

Sirius was falling to the ground, his eyelids falling as his knees touched the ground.

"Sirius!" Durbe exclaimed, catching his brother before he fell the rest of the way. "Sirius, what's the matter?"

The young Barian Guardian offered no answer. Instead, his head lolled to the side, allowing Durbe to see where the scar was.

Well, where it used to be.

The scar was gone. Not a trace was left behind.

Fear and worry swept through Durbe as he slowly reached out and touched Sirius' cheek.

His icy cheek.

"Sirius?" he choked out, giving his brother a gentle shake. "Sirius? Sirius!? Sirius!"

* * *

(Later, at Sirius' apartment.)

Antares opened the door to Sirius' bedroom and stepped out into the living room. "Antares-san," Durbe began, practically jumping off the couch to make his way over to him. "Is he-?"

"Whoa whoa," went Antares, placing his hands on Durbe's shoulders. "Take a chill pill, Lightning-boy. Sirius is okay."

Durbe suddenly felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "Are you certain?"

"Dude, I don't lie about the kid," Antares chuckled. "Aquarii-san's in there right now, keeping an eye on him."

"Your leader?" Durbe asked.

"Yep. You're free to go in, if you want."

"Thank you," Durbe said.

"Don't sweat it," Antares responded. "In the meantime, I'm going to go get a pick-me-up. Looking for a troublesome teenager all night takes it out of you."

"I understand perfectly," Durbe chuckled.

With that, he slowly turned the doorknob and peeked into the room.

True to what Antares had said, Sirius was sound asleep in his bed, with Aquarii looking down at him. She was stroking him ever so carefully, almost motherly.

Again, this was not lost on Durbe.

Being as soft and cautious as humanly – or 'Barianly' – possible, he stepped inside the room and closed the door. Then he attempted to make his way to Aquarii's side, his curiosity being impossible to curb at that point.

Which was strange, because he usually didn't have any curiosity to curb in the first place.

But for some reason, despite his mind giving the command for his legs to move, his feet instead chose to remain glued to the ground.

"Oh, Siri-chan," Aquarii choked out. "You had me worried sick."

Instantly, Durbe's heart skipped a beat.

That nickname...he knew he'd heard it before.

Somewhere.

* * *

_"__Oh, Siri-chan. You had me worried sick."_

_"__I'm sorry, Mother," a little voice coughed._

_"__I'm sorry, Mother," a second voice said. "I was supposed to keep an eye on him, but I let myself get distracted."_

_"__I wouldn't worry too much, ma'am," the doctor said. "It's just a spot of fever. He'll be alright if he stays inside for a while."_

_"__Thank you, Doctor," the mother said._

_"__You don't have to thank me, Aquarii-san. I just can't stand idly by as one of the sons of my best friend suffers, now can I?"_

* * *

Slowly, Durbe made his way over to Aquarii's side. As soon as he reached her, she turned around and looked at him. His eyes were slightly wide and his face was pale. "What is it, Durbe-san?" she asked. "Is something the matter?"

The word that followed came unbidden to Durbe's lips.

"O-Okaasan."

Aquarii froze up. "What?" she asked. "What did you just call me?"

She stood up and placed her hands on the Barian Emperor's shoulders.

A stray tear escaped Durbe as he said it again. He couldn't help it. It was like the words needed to get out.

"Okaasan."

Aquarii smiled through her own tears when she heard Durbe say that. Then she slowly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. "Durbe," she choked out. "Oh, Durbe."

Durbe didn't say anything else after that. But instead, he raised his arms and did his best to return the hug.

It was the best he could do. He hoped that she would understand.

* * *

(Several days later, on the roof of Heartland Academy.)

"It's good to see Sirius-san up and about again," Lyra said happily.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Yuma sighed. "But, is it just me, or does he seem really down?"

"He's probably a little down," Antares said. "He wanted to go to that tournament, but a few 'health issues' kept that from happening."

Antares was right. Sirius was down. But for more than one reason.

He looked to the skies around Heartland Academy, his face remaining calm and emotionless. "I guess I was right," he thought. "A Barian Guardian never duels for the fun of it after all."

"Sirius."

The boy in question turned around, his eyes wide and innocent. Durbe was looking down at him, looking as coolheaded as ever. "Oh, hey, Durbe-nii," Sirius said. "What's the matter?"

"I recently learned something interesting," Durbe said.

"What'd you learn?" Sirius asked. Knowing his brother, it wouldn't have to be that big for him to consider it 'interesting.'

Durbe, complete with light smile, bent down to his sitting brother's height.

"You shall have to see when we get there," he said.

Sirius let out an exasperated laugh in spite of himself. "Typical Durbe-nii," he sighed. "Alright, alright. Let's go."

Durbe smiled a little bit more. "Right."

With that, they vanished into the overlay network, leaving everybody up on the roof slightly stunned.

"Well," Antares said suddenly, "you ready to hit the road too?"

"You better believe it," Yuma said. "Kattobingu da, ORE."

Lyra let out a chuckle. "Sirius-san is going to be so surprised when he finds out," she said.

* * *

Sirius pressed his hand against the old tree in the park, his gaze growing somber. "I think I know why I came here after my memories started returning," he said.

Durbe looked up. "Yes," he said. "It's an oak tree. We had one not too far from our home when we were little. You always went there when you needed to either clear your head or didn't want people finding you."

Sirius chuckled in spite of himself. "Yeah, I was pretty stupid back then, huh?"

A second later, Durbe noticed that Sirius breathed a heavy sigh. "What is it, Sirius?"

No answer was given to him for a moment, but soon Sirius turned around and looked towards his brother. "It's just...I've been thinking about something ever since that duel against Vector," he said, sliding against the tree until he was in a sitting position. "A memory. A really...strange memory."

Curious, Durbe walked up to his brother. "What was the memory about?"

Sirius pulled his legs closer to his body, almost like a sulking child. "I was dueling Vector," he said. "I...I think I was trying to stop him during the war. And...I think...I..."

Durbe got down on his knees and placed his hand on Sirius' shoulder as the latter buried his head in his arms.

"It's crazy," Sirius mumbled. "Even back then, you bailed me out of my own mess." He laughed at himself again. "I'm pretty pathetic, aren't I?"

"That is not the case, Sirius. Your father always said that the two of you were an unbeatable team."

Both boys turned their attention to the source of the voice.

Aquarii was walking up to them, her hands folded before her. A smile was on her face as both Sirius and Durbe got onto their feet. "A-Aquarii-san," Sirius stuttered. "I thought you already returned to Barian."

"I still have matters to attend to," Aquarii chuckled. "After all, I can't have my third best Barian Guardian keep fainting under my watch, correct?"

Sirius turned away, a mild blush creeping onto his face.

Durbe, meanwhile, chuckled. "You could stand to be a little less blunt with your words...Okaasan."

Sirius' world froze.

"What?" he choked out. "Durbe-nii, what did you just call her?"

Aquarii simply smiled brightly.

"You heard me the first time, Sirius," Durbe said. "I know you did." His gaze softened. "I wasn't able to remember our father, but I was able to remember Mother."

"So then-" Sirius spoke.

Aquarii let out a chuckle. "You haven't changed a bit, Siri-chan."

"S-Siri-chan?" Sirius thought.

He lowered his head and bit his lip. "So then...not only is my brother technically my enemy, but my boss...is my **mother**?"

Aquarii's smile slowly vanished, replaced by a somber expression. "Sirius..."

She then walked up to her and touched his face. Then Sirius did something that surprised her.

He hugged her.

He hugged her just like he used to when he was a child. "Okaasan," he whimpered. "Okaasan!"

Aquarii smiled brightly again before she wrapped her arms around Sirius. "You haven't changed at all...Siri-chan."

Sirius sniffed a little bit. "Please don't call me that."

A brief pause followed that beautiful moment between mother and son.

Then someone just had to pipe up.

"Is the tournament over already?"

Sirius could feel his blood freeze in his veins when he heard that voice. Pulling away from his mother, he looked over to Yuma, who looked like he just ate a really bad tomato. "What are you doing here, Yuma?" he growled.

Then he noticed that Yuma was not alone.

There was the members of the Super Secret Number Cards Investigation Club, (Try saying that three times fast.) the Barian Emperors, Ryoga and Rio, and of course, Lyra and Antares.

Great. The gang was all there.

"Now that I think about it, what are **all of you** doing here?"

"We came to watch the first ever Twin Knight Duel Tournament," Alit said. "I thought it was obvious."

"Twin Knight Duel Tournament?" Sirius asked. "What on Barian is that?"

"The Barian Emperors are returning to Barian World tomorrow," Durbe explained. "And I felt it would be right if you had at least one duel that you could look back on and remember how enjoyable it was."

Sirius looked back to his brother. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked.

Durbe nodded. Then he held up his dueling deck.

Didn't take long for Sirius to nod his affirmation. With a grin on his face, he reached into his deck and pulled out his Over-Hundred Number. Then he threw it to Lyra, who caught it in her slender fingers. "Um, Sirius-san?" Lyra asked. "What are you doing?"

"Just hang on to it for me, okay?" Sirius asked. "I don't want to accidentally hurt Durbe-nii with my Number when I beat him."

"You sound confident, Sirius," Antares chuckled.

"Indeed," Durbe said. "In that case..."

He then pulled his own Number out and gave it to Alit. (Why Alit, I have no idea.)

Sirius tilted his head to the side. "You sure you want to have a duel without your ace?"

"I can manage," Durbe said. "The question is...can you?"

Sirius chuckled, a smile appearing on his face. "You better believe I can," he said, throwing his hand into the air. "Duel Disk, SET!"

Durbe followed suit, a grin appearing on his own face.

"D-Gazer, SET!" Sirius shouted, pulling his D-Gazer out of his pocket and onto his ear.

Durbe simply threw on a spare that someone had lent him.

Then they drew their cards.

"**LET'S DUEL!**"

Thus the duel began, with smiles on the faces of all those in the audience.

"_Durbe-nii...after this duel is over...will we go back to being enemies?_"

"I can't say, Sirius. But I wouldn't worry too much. Even if we are enemies, we'll still be brothers. That will never change."

"_Yeah... That's true. ….Thanks...Durbe-nii._"

* * *

(A short distance away)

A bright smile appeared on a man's face as he watched the duel. His arms were folded across his chest, his back against a wall. "I told you, Aquarii dear," he said. "Our sons were going to be the best knights of their time."

"Altair-san," another said, "I know you wanted to see them again, but we have to get back to Astral World. Eliphas-dono won't like it if we stay too long."

"I know," Altair answered. "I'm ready to go back then. After all, I was able to hold one of my joys again. That's good enough for now."

After taking a final look at the dueling twins, Altair smiled again before vanishing into a light blue overlay network.

"_Durbe...Sirius...I hope that someday, I can hold you in my arms like I used to. My precious sons..."_

* * *

**D.T.B: Thus ends the sequel to Meet Sirius the Barian Guardian. And I've gotta say, I loved working on it. It took me forever, but it was totally worth it. And before you ask, no, there is no sequel to this. You'll have to wait and see for more interesting facts about the Barian family. Please leave a review and I'll see you guys in the next update. :)**


End file.
